Fate: Hero's Lament
by OmniRorek
Summary: (Formerly 'The First Remnant Holy Grail War'.) Jaune finds an ancient ritual circle, accidentally summoning a masked woman in blue armor. Vale is thrust into a conflict unlike any other. As seven pairs of Masters and Servants fight to grant their wish, a mysterious warrior from another world challenges Jaune and Ruby's ideals, forcing them to question what it means to be a hero.
1. A New Awakening

**I do not own RWBY or Fate/Stay Night. These are the property of Rooster Teeth and Type-Moon respectively. I don't make a profit off this, unfortunately.**

 **Just a quick note here in the beginning (there'll be a bigger one at the end), that you don't necessarily need to have watched or read Fate/Stay Night to enjoy this fanfic. I'll just be borrowing one concept and a character or two from there, and it'll all be explained as it goes along.**

 **EDIT: Huge thank you to The Erudite for beta-ing this for me.**

0o0o0o0o0

Deep in Emerald Forest, two forms blurred through the trees at an impossible speed. Clashes of steel on steel rang through the night, echoing into the woods. The pair of figures stopped in a clearing and continued their battle. Sparks rung with each hit of sword upon sword. They left craters in the ground from the force of impact between their blades. Two figures, one clad in red and one in blue, raced around each other, looking for an opening. The warrior in blue, seeing one, swung her sword with lightning precision, going for the left flank. The knight in red seemed to read her plan before she even set it in motion, as one of his blades appeared to miraculously block her strike out of nowhere.

The warrior in blue retreated before her opponent could capitalize on her mistake; her speed outclassed his by a large margin. Despite the difference in speed, however, she couldn't land a single solid hit on him. She held up her blade horizontally in a ready stance in case he decided to go on the offensive. "Your swordsmanship is exceptional. It doesn't seem to fit you, however," she said in a gentle tone. Her eyebrows narrowed in confusion. "I know for a fact you are not a Saber-class."

The knight in red raised the corner of his mouth in a smirk. "You found me out already," he said in his deep voice. "Does that mean you'll let me go? I have no quarrel with you. Yet." He shifted the grip on his dual blades, reversing one.

"I can't just let you leave. Stand and fight with honor!" the warrior in blue said as she lowered her blade, readying her next strike.

The knight in red huffed in amusement. "Honor? What a trifling thing." He brought up his weapons up in preparation. "However, it seems you leave me no choice." The two rushed at one another, meeting in the middle in the blink of an eye. The shockwaves of the clash rustled the trees and grass around them.

Two more people appeared at the edge of the clearing, both looking out of breath. They stared in horror as the fighters met again and again, the man managing to just barely dodge or block the woman's strikes despite her superior speed. The newcomers finally slowed their breathing enough for one of them to speak.

"Why are you guys fighting? Please stop!" said the girl timidly. Her eyes filled with worry as she went unheeded. Her innocence was a stark contrast next to the intense battle. She longed to say more, but hesitation flickered across her face.

The boy standing next to her raised his voice, aggravated, "Hey, didn't you guys hear her? She said to stop. _I'm_ telling you to stop!" Still, the fight raged on. Whether they didn't hear his voice or chose to ignore him, he couldn't tell. His fists tightened in anger.

The warrior in blue went for a horizontal slice, but she noticed the knight in red had gone for the block even before she had attacked. _Ah, I see what you're doing,_ she thought. Impossibly, she spun on her foot and reversed her momentum, bringing the sword around and swinging from the opposite direction she had originally attacked from. The knight moved his other blade to intercept, but he knew he couldn't react in time.

The girl's eyes widened as she yelled, "No!" She seemed rooted to the ground in shock.

The boy took a step forward from the treeline and reached his right hand out. "SABER, STOP!" he cried. A red light flashed and the world seemed to freeze.

0o0o0o0o0

Daylight spilled from over the horizon upon Beacon Academy as the sun stretched its rays onto the new morning. Birds chirped and sang to the tune of wilderness. The silence between the fleeting sounds heavier than during the afternoon hustle of the city. Dew slid from the tops of window sills, trailing clearness across the foggy glass. The perfect picture to wake up to.

The early bird gets the worm. An ancient proverb. Some preferred to wake up naturally and get the day started, while others preferred using an alarm clock. Team JNPR, however, had a unique method.

"Wake up, Jaune! It's time for breakfast!" Nora shouted at a fully-covered, sleeping form. "C'mon sleepy head, it's only six o'clock." There was a muffled grunt from under the sheets. "Don't give me that, it's not that early. Right Pyrrha?" Her reply was another grunt from the other side of the room.

"Nora, not everyone wakes up as early as you do," said Ren from where he sat cross legged on his bed. His eyes were closed in what seemed like peaceful meditation.

"But they should be used to this by now, I do it every week," Nora pouted. Jaune threw the covers off himself, clearly irritated.

"How does that make any sense?" he said, exasperated. Nora opened her mouth to start explaining but Jaune cut her off. "It doesn't, let me tell you right now." She went back to pouting and mumbled something under her breath. "I can't hear you, Nora," Jaune said.

"I said that I just want to be first in line for pancakes." She puffed out her cheeks.

Jaune sat up on his bed and sighed. "Okay, okay, I'm up. Pyrrha, let's go or Nora's gonna explode." He turned and saw his partner already in her uniform. "Wha-I mean you were-the bed and...weren't you asleep?" he sputtered.

Pyrrha titled her head sideway as if explaining the obvious. "I get ready fast, Jaune. You know this." She smiled good-naturedly.

"Are you fast, or do you time travel?" he muttered under his breath as he got up to get clothed. As he finished putting on his uniform, he felt his right hand throb slightly. He scratched the back of his fist as an afterthought. Team JNPR headed out and soon ended up in the very empty cafeteria.

"PANCAKES!" yelled Nora as she sped to the non-existent line. She began animatedly bargaining with a tired-looking woman, presumably to strike a deal for the maximum amount of pancakes possible.

Her teammates joined her and they all got their food, albeit sluggishly. Jaune just accepted anything that was slopped down on his plate without looking, resting his eyes for as long as he could between the intervals of agonising pain that was light itself.

Nora spent a long minute deciding where the team would sit in the very empty row of tables. Jaune whimpered and prayed to whatever cruel pancake god that he would be a more devout follower if he could just get some more sleep next time.

They finally found an apparently suitable spot and began eating. Nora recounted her dream from last night with her mouth half full. Jaune struggled to keep up and dozed off, only catching every couple of sentences. After one particularly lengthy nap, he woke up to find the cafeteria full, Team RWBY sitting around them and chatting with the rest of JNPR. He blinked a couple times to expel the crusty feeling behind his eyes and it managed to work a bit.

Ruby, who had taken a seat next to Jaune, looked at him with surprise. "Oh, you're finally up. You okay there?" She tried to smile but the worry still bled through her expression.

Jaune smiled half-heartedly. "I'm fine, Ruby. I just stayed up late last night to finish some of Port's homework." His smile turned rueful. "I really should stop procrastinating on that stuff."

Ruby patted him on the shoulder and smiled more genuinely. "You know you can always ask me for help, right?" Jaune nodded but kept quiet, opting to rest his eyes a bit more. Only a few minutes seemed to pass, but he heard the first bell for classes and groaned.

"Let's go, lover-boy, we're all waiting for you," teased Yang. He looked around and saw his friends all staring at him. He got up lethargically.

"Sorry guys, just a bit tired is all." It seemed to ease their minds, and everyone started heading toward Professor Port's class.

The class went by as usual, which meant Port rambling on about some adventure he had in his youth. How he had single-handedly slaughtered an entire pack of Ursai with no weapon and a broken ankle. Just usual stuff.

Jaune struggled to keep awake, but was determined to at least get something out of the class. At the very least some insight into a real hunter's mindset, no matter how warped from reality that mindset was. In the end, his attempt was for naught, as he struggled to even remember a single sentence the professor had said.

"I actually feel more tired than when I walked in, if that's even possible," Jaune said as he trudged alongside his friends to their next class.

Weiss huffed. "Professor Port is an experienced hunter and you should cling onto every word he says to gain better-"

"Insight into how a real mission could go," interrupted Yang. "Yes, we know Weiss-cream, you say this every time someone complains about the class." Weiss huffed indignantly and crossed her arms.

"Don't worry, Jaune, I don't remember most of it either," said Ren as they arrived at the locker rooms to change into battle gear for their next class.

"Thanks, buddy," said Jaune. They hurriedly got ready, and in a few minutes the two teams took their seats just as Professor Goodwitch stepped up to speak.

"Hello, class. Today we'll be practicing fighting two on two. I will announce the partners, so please step down to the sparring area when you hear your name." The class murmured in anticipation; two on two fights were a rare sight in Goodwitch's class, mostly since that was practiced more often in second and third year classes. "The first pair will be Weiss Schnee and Lie Ren." The chatter grew. People who weren't partners being paired? It was a first for the class.

"Quiet down, everyone," said Professor Goodwitch in a stern voice. "This is to improve your improvisational teamwork, a skill that is invaluable on a real mission where you could have to work with hunters not on your team." She looked back down to her scroll. "The second pair will be Blake Belladonna and Jaune Arc."

Jaune turned to see Blake's reaction as she walked down to the sparring area, but she didn't seem upset. Then again, she could be mentally cursing up a storm for having a crappy partner. He got up to go but was stopped by a tug at the wrist. He looked down to see Pyrrha holding his sleeve.

"Remember, Jaune, you two haven't practiced team moves, so to fight well with each other, you'll need to use logic, common sense, and rational thinking." She let go and smiled at him encouragingly. Jaune nodded in affirmation.

As he passed by Ruby he leaned in to frantically whisper, "I have none of those things!" She shrugged an apology and Jaune facepalmed. _Let's get this over with,_ he thought.

He arrived next to Blake who stood across the arena from Ren and Weiss. Professor Goodwitch stepped in the middle and look at each team. "You'll have one minute to come up with a battle strategy. Starting... now!" Jaune saw Weiss huddle close to Ren as she fiercely whispered what could only be 'Plan Target The Weak Link Jaune So We Can Two-Versus-One Blake'.

Blake turned to him but said nothing. A few seconds of silence passed by. "Alright, good plan team, let's go out there and get 'em," said Jaune. She raised an eyebrow. "What, you want me to make a plan?"

She huffed. "You're the one who's a team leader, not me. I don't know much of your strengths and weaknesses, so just play around what you can do and I'll fill whatever role you need me to." That actually sounded pretty smart, so Jaune wracked his brain. He went through several possible scenarios, most involving him staying far away from Weiss just in case she wanted revenge for all the time's he'd called her Snow Queen.

He finally settled on something and opened his mouth, but the professor beat him to it. "Time's up, the battle starts now!"

Jaune stared in horror as Weiss and Ren rushed them. He had no time to convey even a couple words before he was forced to draw Crocea Mors and block a strike from Weiss. Blake jumped off to engage with Ren, the two dancing around each other with outstanding agility.

Weiss went in for another strike, lower this time, to catch Jaune off guard, but he managed to bring his shield down quick enough to block it. He tried to swing at her, but Weiss had already speedily backed off using her glyphs. _Ok, I have to take that into consideration and swing faster, even if it costs me some power,_ thought Jaune. He had theorized they might have gone for him first to quickly take him out, but it seemed they were going for a divide-and-conquer route.

That seemed to work in Jaune and Blake's favor, with the only caveat being that Weiss was far above his skill level. He just had to hold out until Blake could take care of Ren. _Sorry buddy, but right now my partner is Blake, and I need a good grade in this class._

Weiss circled around him at high speed, using her glyphs to keep him trapped until she made a move. He tried to follow her with his eyes, but he grew dizzy, so he focused on waiting to react to her next attack.

It came a few seconds later from directly behind him. The only reason he managed to swing around in time was that Weiss made the mistake of letting the glyphs in front of Jaune disappear before she struck. Clued into the general direction she was coming from, Jaune put all his power into a shield bash, not counting on being accurate enough with his sword to block or counterattack.

His intuition proved correct as Weiss was struck and a good chunk of her aura was torn off. She flew from the force of the impact and skid to a halt half a dozen feet away. He had no time to celebrate, though, as he felt a pair of feet land a kick on his back, sending him flying face first into the ground.

He turned to see Ren coming at him with pistols raised. Jaune brought his shield and immediately heard the bullets pelting it. He kept it raised and charged in the direction he remembered Ren coming from. He felt a pair of feet land on his shoulders and push off: Ren was using him as a springboard to dodge the shield rush. Jaune felt some bullets shave of his aura as they hit his back.

He ran to the edge of the arena where Ren was and they traded blows for a few seconds. Jaune knew Ren's fighting style, having trained with and against it often, so he fared much better than against Weiss.

Glyphs appeared next to Ren, who used the enhanced speed to run off in another direction completely away from Jaune. He looked to where Ren ended up, at the other side of the arena, where Weiss and Blake were duking it out. Jaune froze for a moment before he broke into a dead sprint.

 _Idiot! Of course they didn't want to do two one-on-ones and give us an advantage that even I could see. If I'm on the other side of the class, they can quickly take down Blake and leave me for easy pickings!_ He should've seen how glaringly obvious it was when Ren ran to the edge for seemingly no reason. He saw Blake struggling against the two opponents, both of whom were now faster thanks to Weiss' semblance. She managed to avoid being taken down instantly because of her own power, but her clones could only last her so long.

As Blake turned to block a strike from Ren, she didn't see Weiss ready a dust-infused fireball from the side. Jaune pumped all his energy into his legs, knowing that if the fireball hit her, her aura would jump into the red for sure and he'd be left alone to face two opponents.

Weiss shot the fireball, and deep in his gut, Jaune knew he couldn't make it in time. Time seemed to slow in the heat of the moment and he watched the attack barrel towards Blake, who still hadn't seen it.

Jaune closed his eyes in frustration. _I wanted to become a hunter to protect people,_ he thought. _What's the point of all this if I can't even save my battle partner from one attack? Just once...just once, I want to be a hero, dammit!_

He felt a tug somewhere deep within his mind and was hit with a sudden clarity of the world. In that moment, impossibly, he felt he could count the number of hairs on Blake's head from how far she was from him. He could describe the exact location of each bead and river of sweat on his body. In that deep recess of his mind where he felt the tug, he could almost hear a voice, but not clearly enough to understand what it said. Time seemed to move normally again and he burst forward faster than he'd ever run before.

Blake turned her head just as Ren backed off and widened her eyes as the giant fire attack hurtled toward her faster than she could dodge. Even hiding behind a clone wouldn't save her from this. Before she could even bring her hands up to shield herself the flames were upon her. The moment before it struck, Jaune appeared in front of her from what seemed like nowhere, shield raised. The dust fireball hit, and her vision turned red and white as she was hurled back from the blast.

She tumbled through the air for a second before landing hard, her aura taking the brunt of the damage. Her natural instincts kicked in and she rolled back up to her feet. She looked for Jaune and saw him lying in a heap a few dozen feet from where they were hit. His sword and shield lay even further than that.

In a flurry of motion and panic, she ran to him, the rest of the world going unheeded. She kneeled down and shook him. "Jaune!?" she cried.

For one horrifying moment there was nothing, then he groaned. "Five more minutes, Nora," he slurred. Blake breathed a sigh of relief, and then Weiss, Ren, and Professor Goodwitch were upon them.

There was a lot of commotion but above it all Glynda Goodwitch used her strict voice and shouted, "Sit down, everyone! You three, he'll be fine, but take him to the infirmary to be treated for his injuries." They nodded and slung Jaune's arms around Ren and Blake's shoulders. Weiss collected Crocea Mors and they all headed to the nurse's office. The class was deathly silent as they left.

The walk there was void of conversation. Ren looked at Jaune worriedly, Blake seemed determined to make sure he was okay, and Weiss had guilt painted all over her features. Jaune was barely able to walk with their assistance, but he seemed unsure of his surroundings. Groans escaped his lips from time to time, and with each one Weiss winced.

They finally got to the nurse's office, and as soon as they walked in the head nurse burst into action. "What happened to him?" she asked.

Weiss looked down in shame. Ren was trying to put it into words when Blake spoke up. "We were sparring in Professor Goodwitch's class, he jumped in front of a fire attack that was meant for me and was sent flying." Her expression hardened at the end, her voice laced with emotion.

The nurse looked at all three of the students and nodded. She motioned for them to follow her into one of the patient rooms and lay Jaune on the pristine white bed in the middle. While they were laying him down, Jaune sucked in a sharp breath through clenched teeth and arched his back in pain. His hand shot up to his side, hovering over but not touching.

The nurse appeared beside him, going through some basic diagnostics. Ren, Blake, and Weiss stood aside in the corner, anxiousness manifesting itself differently in all of them. Blake stood ramrod straight and seemed hyper-focused on everything the nurse was doing to Jaune. Ren fidgeted and seemed unsure where to look. Weiss was the worst, biting her nails and tapping her foot at a worrisome pace.

A nerve-wracking ten minutes passed by until the nurse finally turned around with a weary sigh. The group jumped on her like wolves, bombarding her with questions.

"Is he okay?"

"What's the damage?"

"How's he doing?"

The nurse held up her palms, silencing them. "He's fine. Besides a slight concussion, it's mostly just scrapes and bruises. His right side is where he seemed to take the fall head-on, so he'll have to keep any pressure off of it for a couple days. Other than that, he'll be fine with a night's rest here at the infirmary." She brought a finger to her cheek and thought for a moment. "I'll keep him until tomorrow afternoon to make sure." The nurse turned away and left, the click-clack of her high heels fading away as the door shut behind her.

The three teens visibly relaxed, though Weiss still kept a worried expression. She slumped into one of the chairs in the corner, arms and legs splayed in every direction. "I think my resting heart rate has permanently increased."

Ren rested his back against the wall, nodding in agreement. Blake took the seat right next to the bed, her intense gaze on Jaune's still figure. Her fingers curled into a fist, her eyes narrowing the longer she stared. Suddenly, she clicked her tongue and turned her head to the side.

Ren raised an eyebrow but said nothing. A moment passed without words. "I think it best we returned to class and informed Professor Goodwitch about Jaune's whereabouts." The others looked to him. Weiss hummed in agreement, while Blake simply stood up and started walking out the door. Being the last one to leave, Ren dimmed the lights and closed the door quietly.

And just like that, Jaune was left asleep with nothing but shadows to accompany his dreams.

0o0o0o0o0

 _Violet lightning poured down from a sea of clouds that blocked the sky. A purple haze permeated the very air itself. Jaune's eyes widened as dark shapes slithered just beyond the clouds. Bolts struck the earth around him as he ran. He felt rather than saw someone running next to him. What he was running from, he didn't know, but fear clutched at his heart so tightly that he dared not turn around._

 _He suddenly felt the person beside him tackle him to the ground, and before he could think to ask why, a beam of purple lightning struck where they had been not one second ago. His heart pounding and blood pumping, he rolled over to see what they had been running from. A twisted tower loomed above him, stretching into the sky. A dark shape rose from behind the spire, enveloping the giant structure in a behemoth shadow._

 _Through the haze, he saw three red orbs lined up horizontally. They seemed to fly closer until the clouds parted to reveal they were the eyes of a massive dragon. Rows upon rows of teeth jutting this way and that. Two wicked horns adorned the beast's head. It reared back and let loose an ear-shattering roar that Jaune felt in the deepest pit of his bones._

 _The person next to him said something that he didn't hear. He opened his mouth to speak, to ask what was going on, but with a crystalline voice that wasn't his, he murmured, "It's all over…", before the world faded to black._

0o0o0o0o0

Jaune awoke to the sound of a steady heart monitor. It was an odd contrast to the pounding he had felt in his chest a few moments ago. At least it had felt like a few moments. Who knew how long had passed since his strange dream had ended? _Felt more like a nightmare,_ he thought.

Why had he been sleeping? He had been in the middle of a spar, running towards Blake when-

The memories of the last few seconds before he was knocked unconscious returned in a rush of clarity, like a bucket of ice cold water washing down his back. He groaned, realizing he and Blake had lost the fight.

He took stock of his surroundings, quickly realizing he was at the school infirmary. He pushed himself up to a sitting position, pausing midway when he felt a spike of pain on his right side. After some exploring, he found a switch on the handle of the bed that allowed him to shift the top half higher so he could comfortably sit up.

Jaune pulled his scroll out of his pocket and checked the time. A wave of exhaustion hit him when he saw it was two in the morning. He lay his head back and stared up at the ceiling. Thoughts of the fight swirled around in a torrent of regret. He should have been stronger, or faster, or smarter, or, at the very least, out of the way. But because he had wanted to be a big damn hero, not only had he gotten injured, they had lost and most likely gotten a bad score. _I'll need to apologize to Blake when I can,_ was Jaune's last thought before he drifted back into a deep sleep.

More dreams of a violet light piercing the sky, of a broken world on fire, of beloved comrades dead, and of a timeline lost. Battle after battle, darkness consuming the world, but a different darkness than the Grimm. Jaune couldn't make heads or tails of it. A second stretched to eternity and a thousand years felt like one moment. Time had no bearing in dreams. Jaune woke up again in a sweat, trying to recall details, but unlike the first time, he failed to remember anything significant.

Checking his scroll again, he saw he had slept through breakfast and lunch. There was a tray to his left with some roast beef, bread, and a tall glass of water. The meat had cooled and the drink was room temperature, but Jaune scarfed it down to fill his complaining stomach.

A quick message to his friends told them he was awake, and it was not much longer when Nora burst into the room, tears streaming down her face.

"You're alive!" she cried hysterically. She ran forward started to crush the remaining life out of him, but before he could stammer out a reply, Ren had opened up her death grip and moved her to the side. Jaune felt his ribs creak as they adjusted back to where they were supposed to be.

"Hehe, yea, I don't think one fireball in a sparring match could do in anyone with Aura," said Jaune. "That'd be a pretty dumb way to go." He shrugged lamely.

It only took a couple of minutes before the room was filled with both Team RWBY and Team JNPR. Nora was chatting away, describing the fight in exaggerated detail, pausing every couple of words to say how cool it had been. Jaune was pretty sure there had been no lava or tightrope balancing, however.

Ruby caught Jaune up on what subjects he had missed in today's classes. "Oh, and I almost forgot! Tonight we're going on a trip into Emerald Forest with Professor Oobleck. It's to give us a taste of how real huntsman and huntresses sometimes get missions to find ancient artifacts."

"Yea, the prof said you could come since you're being released right before we head out," said Yang as she winked. "Besides, we'll be in team pairs, so you'll be safe."

Pyrrha came up beside his bed and laid a hand on his shoulder. "You should get some rest, the nurse said you still have a little before she'll let you go." Jaune nodded and gave her a smile. The two teams started emptying out one by one, but not everyone left with the group.

Weiss gingerly stepped up next to Jaune with her fingers fidgeting. "Umm, hey there, pal." She winced at her own wording and looked to the side.

The corner of Jaune's mouth curved up slightly. "Hey, uh, buddy?" He paused and his head tilted to the side in confusion. "Why are we talking like this?"

Weiss facepalmed and groaned. "Because it's my fault that you're lying in a hospital bed having missed a day and a half of classes." Jaune leaned back, shock plastered over his face. Words tried and failed to form. "I shouldn't have used as much Dust as I did, and I should have aimed it a little off so it didn't hit directly, and it was just a sparring match so what was I thinking shooting a giant fireball at my own teammate in the first place and-"

"Weiss!" said Jaune, cutting her off. "It's fine, really. Don't beat yourself up over it." He grinned, but she still looked distressed.

She started again, "But-"

"No buts! I'm serious. All you're doing is making me feel bad, too." Jaune gave her a meaningful look. "Please?" She kept his gaze for a moment, then looked away, relenting.

"Fine," she said, and in a smaller and slightly more ominous voice, "but don't think this will be the end of it." She spun, walked out, and slammed the door before he could try to change her mind. Jaune had a gut feeling he would not like the end of _it_ , whatever _it_ was, and however _it_ ended.

He sighed and was about to resign himself to a lonely few hours when he noticed Blake was still in the room. She had her arms crossed and an intense look in her eyes. Jaune gulped. "Uhh, what's up, Blake?"

She didn't respond, opting to instead glare him down. Jaune sighed in disappointment. "Look, I'm sorry. I messed up, we lost, and you got a bad grade because of me. I'll make it up to you, I swear!"

Blake's eyes widened, her anger flaring up. "You think I care about the grade, Jaune?" she snapped. He winced, her use of his name somehow making it worse. "Why did you jump in front of me?"

The question caught him off guard. He stammered, "You, you were about to get hit, and I have a shield, and... and you're a better fighter, so I thought you might be able to take them on by yourself even if I, y'know even if I gottakenoutandIwasn'treallythinkingand-". He paused to take a deep breath but didn't continue when Blake's face told him it had probably been a rhetorical question.

Blake unfolded her arms and took purposeful strides towards him, each click of her shoes making Jaune recede further into his raised bed. She stopped right next to him and loomed close enough that he could smell her breath. "Next time you want to play the hero, why don't you think about how others might feel if you get hurt on their behalf." She whispered, but her voice resonated deep within Jaune's soul. His face was slack, his mind blank. Words struggled to formulate in his mind, let alone on his tongue.

She straightened and turned to walk out, but paused halfway through the door. "You told Weiss not to beat herself up over it, yet you did the same thing right after without even thinking about it. Don't you see the hypocrisy in that?" This time, her eyes were filled with melancholy.

The sound of the door shutting was incomparably loud to the silence that followed it. It was a silence that lasted until the nurse came hours later to tell Jaune he could leave. But the words said in that room didn't leave him. Somehow, Jaune knew they wouldn't leave him for the rest of his life.

0o0o0o0o0

Jaune walked sullenly to his room. Before he opened the door, he composed himself. He didn't want anyone worrying about him more than they already had. When he walked in, his team greeted him with enthusiasm. A little too much enthusiasm in Nora's case. But that was normal. For Nora, at least.

Jaune excused himself before any real conversation could start and headed to the bathroom with a fresh set of clothes so he could take a shower. He barely noticed the weight of armor leaving him, as it was paltry compared to the heaviness he felt in his chest. The initially cold spray of water quickly warmed up, but Jaune barely even noticed the temperature.

A hypocrite? Is that what he was? All Jaune wanted was to protect others. He wasn't asking to save everyone, just the people he could reach out and save with his own strength. There couldn't possibly be something wrong with a dream that beautiful. Could there? The more he thought, the more he went in circles, and the more his head started to hurt.

As still as a stone statue, Jaune stood there until he realized he didn't know how long had passed since he had walked into the shower. That was a big indicator that it had probably been a while. The water turned off, new clothes put on, and armor re-equipped, Jaune exited the bathroom no wiser than he had entered. Which was usually how normal people exited bathrooms. Usually.

Team JNPR was ready to head out. They met up with Team RWBY in the hallway and walked to the docking bay where the class was supposed to gather for take-off into Emerald Forest. They were the last ones to arrive, Professor Oobleck having just started to list off his instructions at high speed.

"Remember class, you will be dropped off at a random point in the forest with your two teams. Grimm presence is low, but can vary and is always a factor," said Oobleck. "Look for ruins, caves, and the like and search them for any artifacts. What the definition of artifact is, I shall leave up to your discretion. That will be a part of your grade. Any questions?" No hands were raised. "Alrighty then, get in your pre-designated Bullheads. Your pilots know where to take you. Good luck, students!"

The designation of aircrafts must have been done earlier today in class when he was still in the infirmary. His team seemed to know where to go, so he just followed them. They arrived at their Bullhead and settled in without much fuss.

As soon as Jaune felt the aircraft take off, his motion sickness sucker punched him in the stomach. He groaned and bent forward in his seat when he felt a hand rub his back in circles. The only person who was next to him was Ren, and Jaune thanked him silently.

Luckily the ride was shorter than Jaune thought it would be. They touched down and the hatch opened, the eight students filing outside. As soon as they were all out, the Bullhead took off, and was soon a speck in the horizon.

Ruby turned to Jaune. "The game plan we made in class is to spread out enough to cover some ground but also stay within each other's sight. You okay with that?" He didn't feel like talking too much, so he just nodded. Ruby seemed to sense something was off, but didn't vocalise her thoughts. The others started organizing who would be where, and Jaune just let them take charge.

The line they formed started with Ren on one end, then Nora, Weiss, Ruby, Pyrrha, Yang, Jaune, and finally Blake at the other end. Jaune could just barely see Blake and Yang's forms to his left and right. They must have covered almost a quarter mile or more altogether.

Jaune heard the signal from Ruby and started walking. The occasional shrub or tree forced him to maneuver around, but it was a relatively boring march. In the far distance he could see a row of hills and mountains inching closer with every step he took.

It didn't take long for Jaune to get bored. There was only so much of the color green you could look at before it all started to blend together. It came to a point where Jaune didn't even notice the passage of time. He only realized it had gotten much darker when he almost tripped over a branch he would have easily been able to see when they had first set out.

Jaune heard rustling to his side and was about to pull out Crocea Mors when he noticed Blake gracefully walking towards him. Her face was adorned with its normal passive expression.

"It's getting dark. The pickup time should be soon, so let's head over and group up with the others." Jaune nodded, his face pensive. He turned to follow her as she passed by him, his eyes dropping, unable to meet hers. They walked in silence for a few moments. Jaune had worked up enough courage to finally speak up about what she had said earlier, but he bumped into something that appeared right in front of him.

"Blake? Any reason you stopped walking?" Jaune complained. "You're not a brick wall or anything, but you're not exactly soft, either." He leaned to the side to look at her face.

That's when he noticed her drawn weapon. He followed her glare and just barely made out moving shapes in the darkness, red eyes floating about. Red eyes. A spiral tower. Wings that spanned the sky. Teeth. Endless teeth.

A sharp spike of pain drilled into Jaune's head. He cried out in agony as he doubled over. Blake barely had time to turn and see what was wrong with him before the first Beowolf lunged from the shadows. A quick roll to the side, a flourish with Gambol Shroud, and the creature of Grimm no longer had a head.

The pain in Jaune's head quickly lowered to a manageable level. The initial burst might have been the worst thing he had ever felt in his life. His right hand itched fiercely, but he ignored it and drew his weapon, going back to back with Blake.

The others of the pack prowled out into their vision, forming a loose circle around the pair. The darkness seemed to shimmer off their coats, moonlight reflecting off their bone-white masks. To Jaune and Blake's side, just at the edge of both their visions, a hulking brute of a Beowolf lumbered out from behind a tree. The Alpha had sensed prey and come out to play.

"So, any ideas on how to live?" Jaune whimpered.

"Didn't I already tell you," replied Blake in a half-joking tone, "that you're the one who's a team leader?"

Almost at once, a half dozen of the Grimm leapt forward. Half went for Jaune, and the others for Blake. Jaune focused on the three in front of him, trusting that Blake could handle herself better than he could.

The first creature to come in melee range was met with a shield to the face, sending it flying. Jaune used his shield to block the next one's swipe, going for the thing's side with his sword. He felt resistance and heard a roar of pain that told him his aim was true. The thing backed off, slightly dazed, and Jaune took the opportunity to stab its head, finishing it off.

He ran towards the last one, covering the distance in a split second. Shield raised to block the initial strike, he crouched underneath the beast and pushed it over him. The Grimm landed on its back, making it easy pickings for a quick thrust from Crocea Mors.

The first one came back around to attack him. Jaune blocked an overhead strike and sliced the thing's arm off, it's head quickly following.

Jaune turned to see how Blake was faring, but his sight of her was blocked by the looming figure of the Alpha Beowolf bearing down on him. Instinct kicked in, and with it a rush of fear. He knew this was something he couldn't defeat, even if Blake helped.

So he did the only thing he thought would work. He turned and ran, barely managing to slip past the ring of regular Grimm. He looked back briefly to check that the Alpha was following him, and regretted it immediately. Looking back cost him time. Looking back was scary. Looking back meant seeing a twelve-foot Alpha barreling towards him on all fours.

He faced forward and pumped his legs to work as fast as they could. If he could just get the Alpha away from Blake, he could hide and double back once it lost him. At least, that was the plan. It was hard to think of any plans with the sound of an Alpha Grimm running behind you, which was not the most pleasant of noises. Jaune now knew this through very, very, personal experience.

A minute of constant sprinting passed, and it began to take a toll on Jaune. _I have to find somewhere I can hide,_ he thought frantically.

Before he could start his search, the angle of the ground started to rise considerably, until the trees broke to reveal the line of small mountains Jaune had seen when they had first started the artifact hunt. Directly in front of him was a large cave that bore into the nearest hill.

Without any hesitation, Jaune sprinted into the cave. He fumbled for his scroll while he was running and turned on the built-in flashlight so he could see in the dank cavern. The sounds of the Alpha were getting further behind him, telling him he was gaining ground on the beast.

The cave seemed to go on for a while, then suddenly split off into several pathways. Jaune picked a random one and kept running, knowing that every second could cost him. The smacking of his shoes against the wet ground were the loudest noise in the world. He hoped the Beowolf couldn't pinpoint his location with it.

After a couple more seconds of running, Jaune came upon a strange opening in the side of the tunnel. After a second, Jaune realized it looked man-made. He took step after tepid step into what seemed like a small, but long room.

Jaune delved deeper. It only took a couple of seconds to reach the end of the room, On the floor was a worn drawing. As he got closer, Jaune noticed it was a circle. A seven-pointed star sat in the middle, weird symbols and text adorning the entire thing. It seemed to be made of a blue chalk.

That was about all the info Jaune could glean before he heard a roar that echoed throughout the room. Slowly, he turned. The Alpha had found him. He was trapped and the beast knew it. It advanced slowly.

Jaune dropped his scroll, its bright light illuminating the room from the floor. He raised his weapon and shield, but the beast swatted them out of his hands with a flick of its paw. Crocea Mors in its entirety skidded to a stop near the wall, well beyond Jaune's reach. Blood dripped to the floor from his right forearm, where one of the beast's claws had grazed him. Already exhausted from running, Jaune knew his Aura had dropped considerably. Definitely enough for any attack from the powerful Grimm to rend flesh and bone.

Jaune's heart froze. He shakily took a step back and fell, his own legs failing to support him. He was going to die. In a dark cave, with no one around. No one to save him. No one to even witness it. His body would lie in this cave until he was nothing but a rotting skeleton. Unless of course, the Alpha decided to eat him. Jaune really hoped he was dead before that started.

A short life. A meaningless life. A disappointment to all and a hero to none. Not even a hero to one.

Deep inside Jaune's mind, a spark ignited. His hands stopped shaking and he sat up straighter from where he had fallen. "I'm not going to die here," he whispered. He clenched his fist, a droplet of blood spilling onto the drawing.

"I can't die here," he said, louder. Faces of his friends and family flashed before him. "I still have responsibilities I need to fill, debts that I owe."

The Beowolf raised its paw for the finishing blow. Jaune's eyes hardened. The back of his right hand burned with the intensity of the fire in his heart.

"I need to live so I can be a hero!" Jaune yelled." To somebody! To anybody!" A red light flashed to his right, emanating from his hand. Behind him, a blue radiance seemed to pulsate from the circle. The Alpha swung. Jaune felt something connect. There was a burst of light and flash of steel.

The next thing Jaune saw was the Alpha's head drop to the side, its body falling backwards with a loud thump. Between him and the now-dead Beowolf stood a blue-clad warrior in a flowing cape, a sword held with both hands. Jaune's savior turned to face him, revealing an elegant blue mask covering their eyes.

"I ask of you," she said with the crystalline voice from his dreams, "are you my Master?"

0o0o0o0o0

 **Well, here goes my first fanfic for both RWBY and Fate/Stay Night. And my second fanfic in six years. Oh boy. I really hope you enjoyed it and that you stick around for more!**

 **This story will be taking place on Remnant, with just one concept from Fate/Stay Night. For those of you unfamiliar with how a Holy Grail War works in Fate, basically seven spirits of ancient heroes, like King Arthur or Hercules, are summoned by seven partners to fight each other. Why and how will be explained in the story, if you don't know already.**

 **There are other stories in this crossover section that use this concept, but I'll be adding the twist that each of the summoned heroes will be from other media, mostly video games and other anime. So your favorite character from another series might just pop up in this story!**

 **I've given quite a few hints as to who Jaune summoned, let's see if anyone can figure it out.**

 **Thank you for reading!**


	2. Drafted

**Thank you so much to everyone who read or reviewed or favorited or followed this story. You can't fathom how much it all means to me. Even just saying "I liked it" is such a boost. Also a HUGE thank you, again, to The Erudite for beta-ing this for me.**

 **I may have made Saber's identity a little obvious, judging by all the guesses. Oh, well, it's not intended to be some grand reveal, anyway.**

 **To the one person talking about my hypocrisy in criticising Jaune's heroism and self-sacrifice, you have to remember that's not me criticising him, it's Blake. She's upset at him for taking a blow that should have hit her, and is lashing out at him using logic that may or not be faulty (depending on your point of view). Thank you for pointing that out, however! I'll definitely be expanding on that later, don't you worry. Hope you keep reading!**

 **Anyway, here's the chapter.**

0o0o0o0o0

"I ask of you, are you my Master?" the warrior in blue asked. The dead Alpha Beowolf behind her was already beginning to dissolve into black smoke. The glow that pervaded his vision a second ago faded away, leaving his discarded scroll as the only source of light in the cave.

Jaune struggled for words, his mouth hanging open in pure shock. His heart thumped in his chest, adrenaline still coursing through his system, still telling him to move, to run.

"Am I your what?" he asked dumbly. His voice sounded strange in the eerie quiet that had taken over in the aftermath of his life and death struggle. He sat up straighter and tried to calm his racing heart by taking deep breaths.

The woman's mouth turned down, showing her obvious displeasure. "My Master," she repeated. "Your Servant Saber has responded to your summons." She tilted her head in confusion. "Are you not the one who summoned me?"

Jaune knew what each of those words meant individually, but in that order he struggled to understand. "Listen, I really don't know what you're saying, lady. Servant? Master? I don't understand. Where did you even come from?"

The warrior sheathed her blade onto her side. "Master, what do you mean? You used the magic circle behind you to summon me." She pointed to the drawing behind Jaune. He looked back and saw the last vestige of glowing light fade from the circle.

 _I...summoned her?_ thought Jaune. There seemed to be no other explanation for how she came from behind him. It's not like there was anywhere to hide in the empty room. "Did I finally find my Semblance?" he wondered aloud.

The woman shook her head. "The Grail has given me basic information regarding your world. These things you call Semblances...you did not use yours to call me here." She paused for a moment when she saw Jaune's continued confusion. "Do you not know of the Grail?" she said with a hint of incredulity in her voice.

Jaune stood up, only then noticing how short the warrior in blue was. He stood almost a whole head taller than her. "A grail? That's like a fancy cup, right?" The woman looked shocked.

She seemed ready to speak, but Jaune beat her to it. "Thanks for saving me, by the way. Not too sure how or why or what you're saying, but at the end of the day you saved my life. I'm Jaune." He smiled and reached out his hand to shake. "And please...drop the 'master' stuff. If my friends catch you calling me that, I'll never hear the end of it."

The woman looked down to his hand, then back up. She took off her mask, revealing blue eyes and, to Jaune's disappointment, no cool scars or tattoos. _What's the point of a mask if you don't have anything cool to hide?_ he thought. She smiled awkwardly and hesitantly took his hand in her own. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Jaune. My name is...Saber."

Before he could comment on what a strange name that was, he heard the echo of a voice. "Jaune? Jaune, where are you?"

Saber quickly put her mask back on. "Do not speak of me to anyone until I have time to further explain everything to you." And with that, she disappeared into motes of lights that drifted away into nothingness, startling Jaune. He heard her voice in his head, " _ **Fear not, I am still with you, but in my spirit form. I am simply invisible to the naked eye."**_ With all the other weird things she had said, he took it in stride and figured it was her Semblance or some such.

He grabbed Crocea Mors and his scroll before rushing out of the strange room and backtracking his way to the entrance of the cave.

As he was getting closer to where he thought the exit was, he saw a moving light and heard his name being called again. As he rounded the bend he almost stumbled into Pyrrha.

"Jaune!" she cried, then embraced him. A second later he was enveloped by more bodies, presumably Nora and Ruby judging from the hair color. He looked up to see the rest of his friends with various looks of relief and joy. Everyone except Blake, who looked worried and guilty.

The entrance was only a couple dozen feet away. Night had fallen, the only source of light came from everyone's scrolls.

"Guys," said Jaune, "I can't breathe."

The girls let go of him. Pyrrha looked down and gasped. "Jaune, your arm is bleeding!" She took his hand in hers and inspected the wound. He winced as a sharp pain shot up his arm. "We should hurry back to Beacon, you need to get this treated." He looked at the gash and immediately felt light headed. He nodded lethargically. How much blood had he lost without noticing?

Ren came up beside Jaune, giving him much needed support. "Thanks, buddy," Jaune mumbled. They exited the cave as quickly as they could. A Bullhead hovered a couple hundred feet in the air, searchlight sweeping the tree line.

Jaune heard Ruby say something into her scroll and the Bullhead lowered to the ground. He closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, they were already in the air. He was laying down on the seats sideways. The world lurched, and Jaune couldn't tell if it was from the air sickness or the blood loss. Probably both.

The world started to fade again. All Jaune wanted to do was nap for a whole last thing he heard was Saber whispering, " _ **Sleep, Jaune. All will be well. You have great friends who will look after you."**_ Jaune agreed wholeheartedly.

0o0o0o0o0

Jaune awoke in the infirmary for the second time in less than a day. His senses unblurred one at a time, with his vision clearing last. Hopefully, these trips to the medical wing didn't turn into a habit. He instinctively checked his scroll and groaned. Make that twice in two days. He had slept through an entire day's worth of classes.

Almost as if on cue, the door to his room opened, and the head nurse walked in. _What was her name again,_ wondered Jaune, _Cherry?_ He squinted at her name badge. Nurse Berry. Close enough, he supposed.

"Oh, you're awake. That saves me time from having to throw a bucket of water on you." Jaune thought it was a joke at first, but her deadpan expression told him otherwise. He gulped. Coming here was definitely on his 'Never Do Again At All Costs' list. "Let me check your arm."

She unwrapped the bandages swiftly. Jaune expected discomfort, or even slight pain as she did, but nothing came. He dwelled on that for a couple moments until he noticed she had stopped unwrapping. Her face was in deep thought.

Jaune looked where she was looking, which was his arm. Nothing unusual there, it was fine, so why had she..? _Oh,_ Jaune thought, _that's why._ His arm was fine. No gashes. Not even any scars, or evidence that he had been wounded at all. He did a double take, however, at the blood red marking on the back of his right hand. The intricate design looked vaguely like a shield separated into three parts.

Nurse Berry, who didn't seem to think anything was strange with the mark, was whispering to herself, "But even with Aura as strong as his, it shouldn't be _this_ quick...right?" She shook herself out of her stupor, pulled out her scroll, and made a note. "Do be more careful in the future, Mr. Arc. I'd rather not see you in here for quite some time. You're...free to go?"

 _Why does that sound more like a question than a statement?_ thought Jaune. With a troubled expression on her face, the head nurse stormed off in a hurry.

Things were getting weird. And more than the usual weird that happens at Beacon. Jaune just couldn't put his finger on it. He saw a fresh set of clothes that his team must have brought for him on one of the chairs. His hoodie that he had been wearing was probably beyond reasonable repair with an entire sleeve torn off.

Right as he finished changing, Saber appeared in front of him in a shimmer of air. Jaune yelped. "I was the one who healed you," she stated matter-of-factly, "to clear up the very obvious confusion on your face"

"Did...did you just watch me dress?" said Jaune with a look of incredulity.

Red appeared on Saber's cheeks, her mask just barely showing the edges of her blush. She kept her serious facial expression intact. "Of course not! Do not be preposterous! Please never accuse me of such acts, Master. I would not have my reputation be tarnished." Jaune raised a skeptical eyebrow. She cleared her throat. "Like I was saying, I can use my sword's ability to heal myself. It seems that our connection allows me to extend that healing to you."

"Connection?" asked Jaune. "What do you mean?"

"I promised I would explain, but not here. Take me to a more secure location and I will tell you everything." And with that, she disappeared again.

Jaune looked at the time on his scroll. His friends should have classes for another hour or two, so he could spare the time if it meant not being confused by every other sentence that came out of Saber's mouth.

He promptly left the infirmary and headed to the roof where he and Pyrrha trained. Once Jaune closed the door, Saber appeared in her unusual way. Her cape fluttered behind her in the chilly afternoon wind.

"Ok," Jaune started, sounding a bit exasperated, "can you please explain to me what's going on?"

"Just as a forewarning, there is no easy way to say what I am about to tell you. It sounds like a fantasy tale, but you will have to take my word for it." Saber stayed quiet for a moment. "Have you ever had a dream or wish that you knew was impossible, but still hoped for it anyway?" She didn't continue so Jaune guessed he had to answer.

After thinking for a bit, "Yes."

She nodded. "Now imagine there was a magical device called the Holy Grail that could grant that wish, or any wish for that matter. Would you go to any length to obtain it?"

"I guess it depends," he said. "If I knew it really existed, then probably, yeah." Saber sat down, her posture immaculate. Jaune took the cue that this might be a long story, so he sat down across from her.

"As would I," she continued, "which is why I was summoned to your world. I say your world because I am not from Remnant. I am not even from this universe. Where I hail from, we do not have Semblances, Grimm, Aura, or most of your marvelous technological advancements."

"You would describe my world as medieval. We use swords. None that transform, mind you, just regular ones. We have magic, castles, kings, and horse-drawn carriages." Jaune leaned forward with rapt attention, his mind boggled at the implications if she was telling the truth. An alternate dimension? With no Grimm?

Saber paused. "That theoretical Holy Grail exists, Jaune. It is here in Vale. Not physically, but its concept, if that makes sense."

"Let's say it is in Vale, like you're saying. If it doesn't have a physical form, how would we get it?" Jaune scratched his head. "I mean, wouldn't that make it kinda useless?"

"It must be won," said Saber. "Through a war. _The_ war. The Holy Grail War. The first of its kind here on Remnant, or so the Grail has told me."

"Wait, wait. The Grail _told_ you?" said Jaune skeptically. "It can speak?" He crossed his arms. "Now that I find hard to believe."

Saber huffed. "It does not speak. It has simply granted me the information I require to participate in the Holy Grail War here on Remnant. That includes your language, basics of your world like Semblances, Aura, the Grimm, what the Grail War even is, and its rules. Information like that."

Jaune's eyebrow rose. "You mean you didn't know about this Holy Grail War before I summoned you?"

"No," Saber said, "we did not have anything like this on my world. Neither did yours until recently. This Grail was moved here from...somewhere. The details are hazy at best and absent at worst. Forgive me, I wish I knew the whole story."

"Ok, I get the Grail. I think. You mentioned a war? Between who?"

"It is not a war by conventional standards," started Saber. "There are only fourteen participants who are paired into seven teams. Seven Masters and seven Servants. The last pair standing wins the Grail."

Jaune pondered the new info. Assuming this was all true, this war could have massive consequences for Vale. "What determines who's a Master and who's a Servant?"

"All seven Masters will be living people from your world, like yourself. It could potentially be anyone, but the Grail seems to be drawn towards those with a strong desire for their wish."

Saber sighed. "This is where this will all start sounding a bit far off, so bear with me."

Jaune chuckled. "You mean it gets worse than a magical wish-granting device?" His smiled fell when she nodded seriously. "Oh…"

"My world is not the only other world out there. It is probably impossible to count how many are out there, but rest assured there are plentiful. This includes Remnant, of course," said Saber. "You are not the central world, or anything of that nature. If such a thing even exists. The Grail just happened to be moved here for reasons as of yet unknown."

"When someone from these other universes who has achieved great deeds in life and is of great renown dies, they are removed from the cycle of reincarnation and become what is called a Heroic Spirit. These Heroic Spirits reside in a place that exists outside of time and space, called the Throne of Heroes. When a Grail War starts, seven of these Heroic Spirits are summoned as Servants, each tied through a magical contract to one of the seven Masters who provide them the energy to manifest physically."

Jaune's head spun from the info dump. "Uh, okay, I think I got the main points."

"Sorry, Jaune," said Saber, "I know this is a lot of information to be absorbing in a short amount of time, but you need to know all of this as soon as possible. The Grail War is not in full swing, not until all of the seven are summoned, but that could be at any time. I tried skipping as many unnecessary details as I could, but these are things I must explain so you can understand the full picture."

Jaune nodded in a daze. "So," he said, "I'm one of these Masters. And you're my Servant, who's from another world from another dimension. And I have to fight six other pairs like us to win the Holy Grail that will grant my wish?"

"And mine," said Saber. "Both Master and Servant get a wish. Also, I think I may have misspoke earlier. This is not a fight in which we can negotiate or have a ceasefire or end peacefully. We must be the last pair standing Jaune. The other six Servants must die for the Grail to recognize a victor."

Jaune paled. "Oh." Kill? Six people? This was way over his head. He felt like throwing up. "What...about the, uh, Masters?"

Saber noticed his pallor and quickly said, "They do not need to die, Jaune. However, it is widely accepted as the best method to getting rid of a Servant. If you kill the Master, you cut off the magical energy supply the Servant needs to stay in this world, and they quickly disappear. There is also no chance for the Master to exact revenge for their fallen Servant if they are dead."

Saber shrugged. "It is easier said than done, as most Servants will vehemently protect their Masters, but we do not have to consider it an option if you feel it is dishonorable. You are young, I understand."

Jaune smiled weakly. "Thanks. And you look pretty young yourself."

A forlorn looked passed over Saber's face for a split second. "The Grail summons us in our prime. Remember, Jaune, I have lived my life. The entirety of it. All the Servants have."

Jaune didn't know what to say. How do you respond to that? Not really taught in the How To Converse section in the social interaction handbook.

Saber broke the silence, "Anyway, there are a few more important things you should know. First is that the Holy Grail War is not and will never be a widely known event. It is fought in secret, usually at night and never in public. If the population at large found out about it, it would incite a panic. Everyone would either be running in fear or clamoring to capture the Grail for themselves. It would be chaos. Even the most selfish of Masters will want to keep the knowledge of the War to themselves, to minimize the chance of the Grail falling into the hands of people who were not chosen."

"Another thing to know is that a Servant's identity is everything to them. It can reveal who they were in life, their abilities, and any weakness they had. Learning a Servant's identity can give an overwhelming advantage."

"Then, there is the class system. Each of the Servants are summoned into one of seven archetypes: Saber, Archer, Lancer, Rider, Caster, Assassin, and Berserker."

"I'm guessing," said Jaune with a hint of sarcasm, "with the talk of identities, and you saying there's a Saber class, that Saber isn't your real name."

Saber smiled. "Very perceptive. You are correct, of course. Each of the classes is distinct in its own way. Archers use bows. Assassins are generally weak, but stealthy, and go for Masters. Riders have mounts, things like that."

"That's kinda cool." Jaune stroked his chin in exaggerated thought. "So I'm guessing Saber uses a giant shield, right?"

"Uh, no, Jaune," said Saber earnestly, "we use swords. I do not even have a shield on my person."

A sigh escaped Jaune's lips. "I was kidding, Saber. I guess humor isn't the Saber class' strong suit."

Saber pouted childishly. "Moving on, there is one very last thing you need to know about Servants." Jaune focused once more. "We each have something called a Noble Phantasm. It is our ultimate weapon, the culmination of our legend given form. They are usually the Servants main weapon that their class denotes, but they do come in various shapes and forms. My sword is my Noble Phantasm, for example. But it could just as easily be a concept, like very fast regeneration, or something of that nature."

"So basically," said Jaune, "I should watch out for the enemy's Noble Phantasm if we ever get into a fight." Saber nodded in affirmation. "Gotcha. I think I got everything. Or at least the basics. They say experience is the best teacher." He laughed but it sounded weak even to him.

Saber leaned forward from where she sat and laid a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Jaune, know this. You were thrust into this war without consent. I do feel guilty about that. But whether or not you actively participate in this, the other Masters will come, and they will not be as merciful as you. They will aim to kill." Jaune's face whitened, he seemed on the verge of panic.

A confident smile crept onto Saber's face. "Rest assured. That will not happen, of course." She stood up and walked towards the door that led into the building. Jaune stumbled onto his feet and began walking behind her.

"How do you know that for sure?" asked Jaune.

She stopped and spun her upper body so she partially faced him. The smile was still on her lips. "Is it not obvious? I will protect you. Saber is widely accepted as the most powerful class, after all."

She shimmered into her spirit form, and Jaune noticed a slight easing of a tension he hadn't fully noticed until just then. It was a strange sensation that started from his chest and seemed to flow outwards in a line. That must be the energy he was supplying Saber for her to exist. _It must be less taxing when she's not visible,_ thought Jaune, _and that's what that feeling of slight relief was._

Thinking back on all she had told him, it seemed like a giant fabrication. And a day ago he might have scoffed and told her she was crazy. But all the little weird things like his arm healing, Saber appearing out of literal thin air, and the connection he could feel led him to believe she was telling the truth.

Jaune reached for the door but hesitated. His hand shook slightly as he hovered over the handle. It wasn't every day you learned you've been drafted into a kill-or-be-killed magical battle royale where the prize was any one wish. Jaune would have to make do. He breathed deeply and opened it.

0o0o0o0o0

Jaune found his friends just as they exited Professor Oobleck's class. They greeted him warmly and asked how he was doing in various ways. He told them he was doing great. He hated lying to them.

They had an extended study hall period now, which most students used to relax or do homework. Team RWBY and JNPR usually took this time to be in the library, playing board games or (through Weiss' insistence) having group study sessions.

Today everyone seemed to be willing to take it easy, and Jaune had no doubts that it was for his sake. Better for him, since he wanted some time to himself.

They got situated in their usual spot, Yang already pulling out the Game of Remnant, an evil glint in her eye. The game got going and Jaune wandered off to the history section of the library.

There must be _something_ in these books that hinted at past Grail Wars, or anything that Saber had said on the roof, for that matter. Rifling through row after row resulted in nothing of even slight interest, but Jaune refused to give up.

Saber must have noticed what he was trying to do. " _ **I highly doubt you will find anything to help us in these tomes, Jaune,"**_ she said directly into his head. " _ **Remember, this is the first Grail War on Remnant. There would be no way for anyone from your homeworld to have knowledge of these things."**_

"I have to try," he whispered back. She didn't reply, so he figured she agreed. It couldn't hurt, at the very least.

Almost an hour later and halfway through the entire history section, Jaune was on the brink of giving up. Most of the titles discounted the book entirely, and those that looked promising quickly turned out to hold nothing of value.

Jaune was about to put back the latest disappointment when he noticed something through the empty slot it had left. Lying down on its side behind the row was a book covered with dust. Interested, Jaune reached through the crevice and pulled it out.

A quick blow of air cleaned the cover enough for the title to be legible. "Realmatic Theory: A Study On Parallel Universes," mused Jaune. A promising title, if not a bit on the nose. With a pep in his step, he walked back to his friends and sat down, eager to read.

There was no discernable author, which was very strange. He skipped the table of contents and landed on the first numbered page.

 _Chapter 1: Proving Their Existence. Parallel universes have been a hotly debated topic ever since the question arose, "What if the Grimm didn't exist?" A Remnant where the Grimm never came to be. And if such a thing existed, how could we get to it?_

 _But first, we had to prove it existed. To look for evidence in our own universe. Researchers took to the stars. Maybe parallel meant literally next to us? A universe physically next to our own. Looking back, that seems preposterous, of course, but at the time it was a conversation on the lips of more than half of the world's scientists._

Jaune's enthusiasm died with each sentence. He already knew they existed, Saber was proof of that. He wanted to know if there was any written history on interaction with those parallel universes. He skipped ahead to a random page and started reading.

 _Infinite possibilities means there could be universes in which Semblances didn't exist, or where space travel was possible through means beyond Dust. If we could harness that energy…_

He skipped some more pages.

 _The scientific community's eye turned to Remnant. If there were infinite possibilities in these other realms, maybe someone from one of them had travelled to our universe._

Jaune's eyes focused, his interest peaked.

 _Of course, outside of the few unexplainable circumstances, there has been, to this date, no hard evidence that anyone or anything has travelled to our dimension. Theorists say that…_

Jaune sighed and slammed the book closed. This was getting him nowhere.

The bell rung for lunch. While everyone packed their stuff, Weiss headed to the main desk to check out some books. Jaune followed, figuring he could at least keep the book in case the rest of it held some worthy info.

He waited in line behind Weiss, and she cocked her head to the side. "You never check out anything, Arc. What could you possibly be interested in?" she said incredulously.

Jaune held up the book so she could read the title for herself. "It caught my eye, no biggie."

She eyed him, her expression unreadable. She huffed and turned back around to check her things out as the line moved up. Jaune heard her mumble, only catching the end of it. "...trying to act smarter...not going to impress me...to think I ever worried about someone with such a thick skull."

She stormed off with her books, leaving a confused Jaune. After checking out his own book, Jaune set off to the cafeteria to eat lunch with his friends. Weiss pointedly refused to look in his direction, only further confusing him.

The rest of his classes that day passed by in a blur, his mind wandering to the Grail War. Before he even realized it, the sky had begun to darken and Team JNPR was relaxing in their room.

Jaune felt his scroll vibrate. Blake's name popped up next to a message: _Can we talk?_

He thought to the last conversation they had, the sting of her words still rung in his head. Reluctantly, he responded. _Sure. Where?_

Less than a minute later she answered. _Meet me at the main fountain as soon as you can._

Nora was explaining to Ren the physics of a pancake propelled rocket ship and Pyrrha was studying on her bed. "I'm going for a walk," said Jaune, "I'll be back later." Pyrrha gave him a slightly worried look but waved good-naturedly.

It was a quick walk to the fountain, and as he approached he saw Blake sitting on a nearby bench. The area around them was empty of anyone else. She scooted over and motioned for him to sit next to her. He sat and there was tense silence.

She started, a thoughtful look on her face. "I wanted to apologize. For what I said the other day after the spar with Weiss and Ren."

Jaune was taken aback. "Um, you don't really need to say sorry, Blake," he said. "You were right." He looked down to his feet and shuffled. "I am a hypocrite."

"Whether you are or aren't isn't the point," she said. He locked eyes with her golden gaze. She was obviously troubled by this.

"It isn't?" said Jaune. Now he was confused, which wasn't anything new.

"The point is that I was angry at you and lashed out. I don't…" She paused. She was clearly struggling with getting this out. "I don't like when people get hurt because of me. Or for me, for that matter."

Jaune opened his mouth to speak but stopped himself. Blake continued, "I've just seen too many people die hopelessly throwing themselves in the way of danger for someone else." She looked down, hands fidgeting between her legs. "A hero complex is a dangerous thing, Jaune, and I don't want to see you get hurt trying to be one."

"Blake, I want to be a huntsman. To be a hero," said Jaune. "But that doesn't mean I have a hero complex. I still care about my own well-being."

"Just less than that of your friends," she said, her voice low. Jaune's veins felt like ice. "I still think you're a hypocrite, Jaune Arc, don't mistake me. I'm just sorry for how I lashed out at you. I was just...worried."

For two people who were only really friends through association of their teams, it seemed an odd thing to say. Jaune felt warmth blossom in him anyway. "I'd still jump in front of that attack if I could go back, and I agree with you that I'm a hypocrite for telling Weiss to not feel bad but doing the same thing with you." He paused. "But thanks. For worrying, I mean."

Blake looked irritated, but that slowly bled into a smile. She got up. "Also, don't tell anyone about this. If Yang found out I lied about going to the library to go see you, I'll never hear the end of the teasing."

"Don't worry, I just told my team I was taking a walk," said Jaune. She nodded her thanks.

"I'll see you tomorrow, then?" she said. "With no hard feelings?"

Jaune grinned. "Do I look like the type of guy to hold a grudge?" She laughed silently.

"I guess you aren't. Goodnight, Jaune," she said as she walked off.

"Night, Blake," he said.

He stayed seated for a couple more minutes, enjoying the cool night air.

He got up and stretched his arms and legs. Maybe when he got back he could-

Something pushed him from the back and he landed face first. A clash of metal rang out behind him. He rushed to turn around and saw Saber facing the other way, her blade drawn.

A dark figure landed in a shadowy spot two dozen feet away from her. It moved and a flurry of objects flew at high speed towards Saber. She expertly deflected each one, her arms and sword a blur.

Jaune didn't even have time to question what was happening out loud before the figure moved once again, closing the distance between it and Saber in an instant. They clashed and Jaune finally got his first look at what he presumed could only be another Servant.

A weirdly shaped knife struggled against Saber's sword. Grey light armor covered the torso and forearms. The rest of the outfit was a tight fitting black cloth. The hilt of a blade stuck out from behind the Servant's right shoulder. Most prominent of all was a porcelain white animal mask with triangular ears and red markings. It eerily reminded Jaune of the White Fang.

Saber pushed and the other Servant flew back into the shadows. Jaune scrambled up to his feet and reached for Crocea Mors. He grasped at nothing and realized it was still in his locker. He quickly sent for it using his scroll, hoping it would get here in time to be useful.

"I should have guessed you would be the one to attack before the rest, Assassin," said Saber. "Your ilk does revel in the opening kill of the War." She smiled confidently. "A pity they usually end up dying first."

A voice emanated from the darkness. "My apologies, miss, but you seems to be in the way of my target. I would hate to kill a kindred spirit, who so obviously has a love of masks." Despite the situation, Jaune thought the mystery man sounded a little too relaxed and amicable.

"Flattery does you no good," replied Saber. "If you wish to impress me, draw your sword and face me in single combat." She flourished her sword.

"As tempting as it would be to go sword to sword with a Saber, I don't feel like dying just yet, so I think I'll pass." Assassin's silhouette vanished, but Saber kept her guard up. Her instinct proved correct, as another flurry of objects flew at her from several directions. She spun in a full circle, her sword deflecting each attack with laser precision.

One of the objects landed next to Jaune. It was hard to see with the bad lighting, but it looked like another of those oddly shaped knives. It disappeared into motes of light after a couple of seconds, leaving no evidence that it had existed in the first place.

More throwing knives appeared from one direction, and as Saber turned to deflect them, Assassin appeared behind her in a burst of speed. He simultaneously threw more knives in Jaune's direction and in the same fluid motion sent a kick towards Saber's head.

Jaune's instincts screamed at him to move, but his body seemed stuck in slow motion in comparison to the knives. He knew deep down that his Aura couldn't withstand that many sharp objects colliding with him at that high of a speed. In his peripheral, he saw Saber just barely duck under the kick and start to block the knives heading for her. She wouldn't have time to make it to him.

Jaune's locker planted down in front of him. He heard several hard thunks on the other side. Without hesitating, he opened it up and retrieved his weapon. The knives had penetrated almost halfway through the layer of thick metal. Jaune gulped.

He drew his sword and extended his shield, ready to at least defend himself so Saber didn't have to. This seemed to give Assassin pause. "You know, I just remembered passing an old lady on the way here who looked like she needed help crossing the street," he said jovially. "I'd hate to regret not helping her. It was fun, you two. See you soon!" And he vanished into the night.

Saber took a step to follow, but looked to Jaune, worry etched into her face. "I will have to let him go," she said. "It could be a trap to lure me away from you. Besides, I believe he was just testing our defenses. He will most likely attempt to go for a weaker target." She sheathed her blade.

Jaune's heart pumped loudly. If he hadn't called his locker at the exact moment he did, or he had hesitated in doing so, or if it had landed somewhere else, he would be dead. So many factors that could have changed. Was it luck? Jaune could get behind being lucky, for once.

He stowed his weapon in his locker and sent it back to the locker room. He'd have to worry about the gaping holes in the back later.

Saber walked up to him and looked him up and down. "You are not injured?" Jaune shook his head. "That device that brought your weapon was quite fascinating, if a bit slow. It saved your life." She looked up to where the rocket locker had shot off.

Jaune nodded slowly. "It...it sure did." His body was shivering, despite how hot he felt. "I don't know if I'm cut out for this, Saber."

Saber looked back down to him, her features tightening in worry. "Jaune, I would be concerned if you did not feel scared after an encounter like that. It takes experience or a hardened mind or both to truly steel one's heart against fear in the middle of combat." She laid a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Your instincts in calling your weapon to you show that you are not as helpless as you seem to believe you are."

A few deep breaths calmed Jaune down, but his hands still shook ever so slightly. "You were amazing, Saber. I could barely keep up with your movements," he said.

Saber sniffed and looked to be fighting down a smile. "I was simply doing my job, Master."

"I want you to train me," said Jaune in a rush. "I don't think I'll ever be on a Servant's level, that's probably physically impossible, but I don't want to be a liability to you in the future." He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Um, I mean, if you want to, of course."

Saber chuckled. "Even if I did not want to, which I do, I could hardly refuse if you were dead set on this." When she saw Jaune's confused expression she tilted her head. "Your Command Spells?"

"My what now?" he said. She pointed to his right hand. He looked and saw the shield-shaped red tattoo that he had woken up with. "Oh! I totally forgot to ask you about this on the roof."

"My apologies," said Saber, "I have neglected to mention them. I keep forgetting you know absolutely nothing of the Grail War. Those are your three Command Spells, as indicated by how it is separated into three parts. In its entirety it represents our contract, proving you are a Master. Each Master will have a uniquely designed one, usually somewhere on the arms. They are the crystallization of three absolute commands over your Servant. For example, if I had refused to train you, you could use one of the spells to force me to against my will."

Jaune looked taken aback. "That's horrible! Why would I ever need them?"

"Not all pairs are on good terms like we are. For some, those three Command Spells are all that stop the Servant from betraying their Master," she said. "They have their uses outside unruly Servants, too. Normally, if I was a great distance from you, it would take time for me to travel to your location. However, you could use a Command Spell and teleport me directly there."

Jaune nodded. "Good to know. I'll be careful with them. I promise I'll never make you do anything against your will, Saber."

She looked forlorn. "Be careful when promising to never do something. But the sentiment is a sweet one, Jaune. Thank you. You should get back to your team, lest they start worrying about you." And with that, she disappeared.

 _Worrying with good reason, unfortunately,_ thought Jaune. He trudged back to his room, one part of the encounter with Assassin replaying in his mind. A vivid image of knives bearing down on him. Sleep came slowly that night, and even then, the dreams made sure it wasn't peaceful.

0o0o0o0o0

 _Fire runs._

 _Everywhere there is fire. Buildings broken and collapsing. There are bodies littering the floor. In the distance, people scream for their loved ones. One by one they are silenced, until there is no one left to cry out._

 _Each step is agonizing. Rubble falls from crumbling buildings. There must be a way out. Death waits around the corner, patiently. He knows what he is owed._

 _Past the flames lies an eternal darkness. Silhouettes stand unmoving, barely visible against the blackness. Their silent, unseen loathing bears down as a heavy guilt. The heat makes it hard to think of anything else. It feels like the entire world is burning._

 _Suddenly it vanishes in a flash of white light, leaving an arid wasteland. Barren desert stretches on endlessly. Monolithic black gears hang from the sky. Their movement is melancholy and lethargic._

 _Swords. Swords everywhere. They are stuck into the ground, anchored like grave markers. There are hundreds, perhaps thousands, within sight in every direction. Like the landscape itself, they seem to be infinite._

 _The scene shifts to the top of a scaffold. Rain pours down from the sky, now full of thunderous grey clouds. The gallows are wet with tears. A noose is tightened. Three words are spoken. The floor drops down from beneath, then there is nothing._

0o0o0o0o0

She woke up in a cold sweat, chest heaving. Each deep breath tasted of sweet life. That nightmare was unlike anything she had ever had before. It was so vivid, like she had been to those places in person. She could remember every detail in perfect exactness.

She felt a terrible sadness, and when she raised her fingers to her cheeks, she found herself crying. She managed to keep it quiet and not wake up the other girls. Luckily, everyone on her team was a deep sleeper.

She laid back down, pulling the covers up to her chin. She vainly hoped she could forget about all this tomorrow. Even as she drifted off, those three words kept echoing in her head. They echoed into her very soul. Unlimited Blade Works.

0o0o0o0o0

 **Well, there's chapter 2! I really hope you like it. There was a bit of infodump there, mostly for those of you who haven't read or watched Fate Stay Night. I tried to get it all out of the way as quickly as possible.**

 **Perceptive readers can probably guess at two more Servants from this chapter. Like Saber's identity, the dream sequence is meant to hint at the obvious one. Assassin, on the other hand, I stopped myself from describing too well, as it might have given it away, and I want the rest of the Servants to be less easy to guess. Still, it's definitely possible with some context clues, and you can always PM me if you think you got it.**

 **Hopefully, I can get chapter 3 out quicker than I got out chapter 2, but finals are coming up so we'll see how it goes. Thanks for reading!**


	3. A New Challenger Approaches

**Sorry for the long wait, there were multiple reasons for it. Number one is that while Season 5 of RWBY was really good, the plot left something to be desired for me in a lot of aspects. It kinda went exactly how I expected it to go, which I didn't want cause it was pretty obvious, with no real twists or turns. It was still great, but it left me with zero inspiration to write this fic. Second was with school ramping up and a bunch of personal stuff, this chapter got stuck about a third of the way in. And thirdly, there was a pretty big decision on the future of this fic that I was having some indecision on, but I'm pretty set on it now. Anyway, this last couple weeks I buckled down and wrote the rest, a big chunk of that was thanks to the Heaven's Feel movie finally getting subbed, so the Fate side gave me some drive to write this.**

 **If you haven't already noticed, I changed the title and cover image. I wasn't really feeling it anymore, especially after I saw another fic with the exact same title. I feel this fits a bit better with how I want the story's tone to be. The cover image is more akin to a shield now, which is just for aesthetic reasons.**

 **Also, MAJOR SPOILER WARNING for Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works in this chapter. Like if you haven't watched it yet and are planning to, wait till you finish that to read this, cause I give away a pretty major plot point kinda casually. Anyway, here's the chapter!**

0o0o0o0o0

Jaune awoke to something prodding him on his side. "Mwaa?" he mumbled. "Pyr? Whattimeissit?"

He felt a voice in his head, _**"You are not a morning person, are you?"**_

Jaune rubbed his eyes vigorously to chase the exhaustion away. Once he felt his higher brain functions returning, he said, "Saber, I'm barely even a person." She laughed, the sound in his head was like a cacophony of flutes.

" _ **Sorry to wake you, but I had a vision, Jaune,"**_ she said telepathically, _**"The last Servant will be summoned tonight, somewhere in the woods."**_

There were no classes today, so the rest of his team still slept. He waited a few seconds to make sure they were really asleep, then whispered once more, "A vision? Are you sure?"

A pause. _**"I am. The exact places and times are unclear, but I can see visions of the future occasionally."**_ Jaune took a breath to respond, but stopped when he heard Nora shuffle in her bed.

"Oh, Renny-poo, a whole buffet for me? You shouldn't have…" she drawled. Jaune didn't want to risk waking anyone up, so he nodded, hoping Saber was watching.

He silently dressed and tiptoed out of Team JNPR's room. He let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.

"Saber?" he asked hesitantly.

" _ **Yes, Jaune?"**_ she replied.

"I...I don't think I should be going about my life like nothing's wrong, but I also don't know what to do instead of waiting to get attacked. Which I don't want to do, in case that's unclear." He could almost _feel_ the eyeroll Saber gave him, which was impressive since she didn't technically have physical eyes to do so at the moment.

" _ **We could actively hunt for a Servant to defeat. Or if that seems too drastic, we could simply do some reconnaissance. Knowing one's battlefield is important in war."**_

Looking for a fight unsettled Jaune's stomach. Recon sounded much better. It would be helpful for someone with a strategist's mind like Saber to know the layout of Vale..

Jaune made his decision. "I have the day off from school, so let's walk around the city, formulate some plans. And maybe we can get you some normal clothes so you don't have to be invisible all the time," said Jaune. "My luck, someone's gonna end up catching me talking to myself and think I'm crazy."

He felt Saber's approval through their link. After a quick message to his team that he was seeing a visiting family member, he was off to Vale.

The ride to the city was quick. Jaune felt better than he did most time he flew, which was to say he only threw up a little bit upon landing.

The streets were busy despite the early hour. Jaune figured it would be nice to get her some clothes, so he walked into the first clothing shop he saw. The process was slow, as he had to hold up each piece of clothing and see what Saber thought.

One thing Jaune learned quickly was that her fashion sense was bad. Horrific, even. Like so excruciatingly odd that if he wore his prom dress on top of his usual outfit, and also a clown mask and an afro wig, he'd still have better taste than Saber.

After half an hour, he simply gave up and started choosing clothes for her, much to her vocal displeasure. His wallet cried a bit after the purchase, but Jaune's curiosity won out. Would she look cute in regular clothes? He thought back to the split second she had shown her face when she was first summoned and figured she could make any outfit look stunning.

When no one else in the moderately busy store was looking, he tossed his choices into an empty dressing room. Not even a minute later, Saber walked out, looking altogether too shy for a warrior that could probably give most professional Huntsmen an ass-whooping.

Jaune had kept it simple, both for the price and so she didn't draw too much attention to herself. A dark blue zip-up hoodie over a blood red blouse and sky blue skinny jeans, topped off with matching red sneakers. And a mask? _Wait a minute,_ thought Jaune.

"You know you can't wear that, right?" he asked. "It sticks out too much." She huffed, but relented. It disappeared into motes of light. Wonderfully blue eyes peeked over a huge blush. Curiously, a strange mark was present in her left eye.

"H-how do I look?" she stuttered.

Jaune's mouth hung open. "Uh, you fight good. I mean, you look good! Not that you don't fight good, cause you do. I mean- okay, I'm shutting up now."

Saber giggled, doubt washing away from her features. She turned to look into a nearby mirror. "I will admit, I am unused to having short hair, but it feels...pleasant. It does not get in the way as much." She adjusted her golden hairband. "Shall we go, then?"

Jaune nodded and they headed out. They kept mostly to the major streets, but diverged down side pathways when Saber asked to.

After a couple hours of wandering, Jaune figured it was time to eat. He had skipped breakfast to avoid answering questions from his teammates, and his stomach was starting to feel it. "Let's stop here to eat," he said, pointing at a nearby cafe.

Saber nodded. "I do not require sustenance, although I am curious to taste the food of your world," she said, sounding excited.

They sat down and Jaune ordered for both of them when a waitress came by. A short time later, their food and drinks arrived. Saber seemed to enjoy it all immensely. She devoured everything before Jaune even finished half of his own food.

He paid after they finished, ignoring the further cries of his wallet. Saber walked out of the cafe and seemed drawn to a television broadcasting the news in the window of an electronics shop.

Jaune left the cafe shortly after her and saw her with a look that held a childish wonder as she paid rapturous attention to every detail on the screen. He smiled to himself and took a step towards he when he felt someone knock into him, sending him sprawling onto his back.

"Oh, shit, I'm so sorry!" said a gruff voice. "I didn't even see you there, pal." Jaune looked up to see a well-built man holding out a hand. Jaune took it and the stranger helped lift him back onto his feet.

"No worries, I should've paid more attention to where I was walking," said Jaune. The man ran a hand through his dark locks. He had piercing blue eyes, and a disarming smile. He was definitely older than Jaune, but only by about five years or so.

"Yea, I was distracted there, too. I'm kinda new to the place and was trying to find my way around. I'm Gray, by the way. Gray Dickson," he said, extending his hand again, this time for a handshake.

Jaune shook it and replied, "Jaune Arc. Need help with directions?"

Gray smiled nervously. "If you could? My ego was getting in the way of asking anyone."

"Where you headed?" asked Jaune. Gray rubbed the back of his head.

"Well, I was trying to get to the residential district to find a place to rent out while I was in Vale." He fidgeted. "Don't really have any friends here, so I can't ask anyone for help."

"You're pretty close already," said Jaune, "you just need to go down this street for another mile and turn left when you see a park."

"Thanks, Jaune," said Gray. He hesitated. "Hey, mind if we exchange contact info? Finding nice people is hard these days, and if I need any more help it'd be easier for me to ask someone I already know."

Jaune smiled and held out his scroll. "Sounds good to me! My mom always says strangers are just friends you haven't met yet." Gray laughed and took Jaune's scroll, tapping it against his own.

"Thanks, man. Hey, maybe it was fate that we bumped into each other, y'know?" Jaune heard Saber call his name from the electronic shop. "Looks like your girlfriend is calling you. She's real pretty, although I'm partial to redheads myself. Anyway, see you around!" And with that, he sauntered off.

Jaune sputtered, words failing to come out. _Saber is not my girlfriend!_ he thought, _And blue hair is way better than red hair!_

He caught up with Saber and explained what had happened. They continued on, Saber making notes on any out of the way areas likely to be battle zones. Jaune noticed how easily battle strategy seemed to flow from her. She formulated tactics and backup plans, not seeming eager for a fight, but ready all the same.

He caught himself staring when she took a deep breath and turned to him. "I think that is sufficient for now. Shall we head back to Beacon?" she asked.

"Yea, that sounds gre-"

"Is that lover-boy?" a voice said from across the street. _Oh, please, no. Anyone but her,_ Jaune thought desperately. He looked over to where the voice came from and saw Yang jogging across the street, a giant grin on her face.

This was the worst possible person to see him and Saber together. Yang knowing something essentially meant everyone else knew it also. Jaune didn't want to drag any of his friend into the Grail War. What if Yang told everyone about it and they decided to help him? Even worse, what if she thought he was secretly dating Saber and spread it around!?

Jaune took a deep breath and calmed himself. He was being irrational. There was no way Yang could find out about the war from one little interaction. And if he stuck to his excuse he gave his team, everyone would assume Yang was rumor mongering about Jaune and his family friend.

 _Wait, did my message say I was visiting a family friend, or a family member?_ thought Jaune. He couldn't remember for sure, and if he didn't get his story straight, it could turn around later and bite him in the back. Panic flooded back into his system. Yang finally came to a stop next to them. Jaune was about to speak but felt the words catch in his throat.

"Hello! Yang, I presume?" said Saber said as she extended a hand, coming to his rescue. "Jaune has told me so much about you."

Yang's grin doubled in size. "Oh, he has, has he? Hopefully only good things," she teased. "And you are...his girlfriend?" _She sounds like she wants something juicy to tell everyone!_ thought Jaune.

Saber giggled. "No, nothing of that nature. I am his cousin. My name is…" she paused, eyes flickering to Jaune for the briefest moment. His heart hammered in his chest for some reason. "...Lucina. It is a pleasure to finally meet one of Jaune's friends that he speaks so highly of."

Yang looked to Jaune with a raised eyebrow. "Does he now? Interesting," she said, turning back to Saber. "Well, Lucina, the pleasure's all mine." She grabbed Saber's hand and kissed the back of it, looked up, and winked. "If you need anything at all, don't hesitate to ask me."

"O-of course," said Saber, a giant blush adorning her face. Jaune's mouth was wide open.

He grabbed Yang's upper arm and pulled her away. "I'm gonna talk to Yang alone," he said to Saber. "Stay here for a second...Lucina." She nodded absentmindedly, still blushing.

Yang's eyes were stuck on Saber as she was dragged far enough to not be heard. They turned to each other and spoke at the same time.

"Stop flirting with my cousin!"

"You're cousin is hot."

Jaune's eye twitched. "What are you doing here?"

Yang put a hand on her hip. "I was out shopping for some new clothes. Is that a crime?" She raised an eyebrow challengingly.

Jaune sighed. "No, it isn't. Sorry, I'm a bit on edge. She's a bit..sheltered, and I promised her parents I'd take care of her."

Yang's expression softened. "Aww, lover-boy is being a protective older cousin. Okay, I'll try to keep my flirting to a minimum." Jaune glared at her, but she laughed it off as they headed back to Saber.

"So where were you two headed?" asked Yang.

Jaune looked to Saber to answer. She was obviously well versed at maintaining a fake identity. "Jaune was taking me out to see the sights of your wonderous city. We were just about to head to the academy so he could show me around." Jaune nodded animatedly every couple of words.

Yand beamed. "Perfect! I was just about to head back, also!"

Jaune knew better than to point out that she had said she was going clothes shopping and hadn't bought any clothes. He liked his limbs where they were.

Yang talked with Saber the entire way back. Jaune felt like he had ceased existing to the two of them. Saber tried to include him, but Yang always maneuvered the conversation back to just them two.

He had never realized how slick Yang could be until he saw her moves first hand. Part of him was upset that he was being left out, but a larger part of him was impressed and taking notes on how Yang talked and acted. It wasn't every day you saw a professional at work.

The ride up to Beacon was the usual blur of motion sickness, and he managed to keep everything inside this time. As soon as they stepped off, Yang set off at a brisk pace. "First stop, the dorms!"

Saber looked back to Jaune, who was still shaking off the vestiges of nausea. "A good place to start as any, I guess," he mumbled.

Jaune stayed quiet during the walk, letting Yang take the reins of the conversation. Saber was relegated to nodding wide-eyed at all the technological marvel of Beacon, which Jaune was sure she didn't have to fake. She seemed to genuinely be enjoying herself.

"And we've finally arrived at our dorms!" Yang exclaimed with a flourish of her hand. "This is my team's room, and that's Jaune's. We're right across from each other so we get to see each other _all_ the time, isn't that right, lover-boy?" she asked with a wink.

Jaune gulped. "Uhh, yea. I mean, not in that way, no. Or...yes?" He winced. "I give up."

Yang smiled with evil glee. "Let's see if anyone's still here." She opened the door to Team RWBY's room and walked in, Saber right behind her.

 _Please let there be no one in there,_ thought Jaune. "Perfect, the gang's all here!" shouted Yang from inside. He groaned before he walked inside.

Ruby, Blake, and Weiss were scattered all over the room in typical fashion; Weiss studying at the desk, Ruby playing video games on the floor, and Blake reading in her bed. Yang pulled Saber in front of her as if to show her off. "Everyone, this is Lucina, Jaune's cousin. Lucina, this is everyone."

All eyes turned toward Saber. "Hello, everyone. It is a pleasure to meet you all."

Ruby shot up in a flurry of petals. "Cousin!? Jaune never told us he had cousins. It's so nice to meet you!" She grabbed Saber's hand and shook it vigorously.

Jaune rolled his eyes. "Forgot to mention it. Did I tell you I have aunts and uncles? A dad, too? A mom if I'm not mistaken." He grunted when Yang elbowed him. He kept quiet after that, letting Saber introduce herself to the rest of the team.

By happenstance, Team JNPR was on their way back from a study session in the library. Of course, Yang showed off Saber to them also.

"We were wondering about that family member you rushed off to see before we woke up," said Pyrrha.

Jaune laughed nervously. "Yea, well, here she is! My cousin. Yup." Pyrrha gave him a strange look but didn't seem to think too hard about it.

Saber somehow managed to mesh well with both teams. In fact, she seemed like she was immensely enjoying herself to Jaune. Yang kept up with the tour, with everyone else tagging along now, too. Most of the talking was done by the blonde brawler herself, using every chance to sneak in a flirtatious comment.

By the time it was all finished, the sun was setting into the horizon. The time had flown by, most of it spent hanging around various places in Beacon. Jaune used it as an opportunity to excuse themselves. "Sorry, guys, but she has to get back to her apartment. She'll be staying in Vale a while, so you guys will be seeing her around here a lot, don't worry." That seemed to placate them, so he grabbed Saber and rushed off.

"Jaune, I clearly remember the path to the flying vehicles, and this is not the way," said Saber.

Jaune facepalmed. "Saber, why would we waste time going to Vale?" he asked.

She huffed. "Did you forget what you just said to your friends? We need to get to...my...residence." She paused, a blush creeping onto her face. "Understood, Master."

 _She reverted back to calling me Master!_ Jaune chuckled. "We'll just find somewhere to hide and lay low for a little and I'll go back to my dorm alone."

A serious look flashed onto Saber's face. "What of my vision I told you about this morning? Of the last Servant being summoned tonight in the woods?"

Jaune stopped in the abandoned hallway and looked down. "Saber, I…" He paused. "I'll be honest, I'm terrified. I feel like I've been thrust into this and I'm way over my head." He clenched his fists. "But I can't keep waiting to react to my...my enemies." It felt strange saying that word. He had never had enemies before. Maybe Cardin, but he had never wanted Jaune dead! _At least I don't think so._

Jaune looked up at Saber, determination etched into his face. "I've been running away from things almost my whole life. No more. Let's use this chance to launch a surprise attack before they get their bearings."

Saber look taken aback for a moment, but settled into an approving smile. "Very well, let us traverse the woods and see if we can find where this will happen."

They took a quick detour to the locker room to grab Jaune's weapon. He sighed when he saw the holes in the back of his locker, a grim reminder what losing would mean for him. Now ready for combat, he turned and led Saber towards Emerald Forest. Neither detected the presence silently following them.

0o0o0o0o0

They wandered aimlessly, running into the occasional Grimm. Saber made quick work of them, however. Apparently, she could change into her armor in a burst of light, with her sword ready at her hip. She explained that she could change between outfits at will. Jaune wasn't sure how that worked, but it was convenient, nonetheless.

He was almost insulted by how easy she took down Grimm. He had seen professional Huntsman and Huntresses in action, and that paled in comparison to the ease at which Saber dispatched her foes. It was almost a certainty that if both JNPR and RWBY went up against a Servant, they'd have their butt's handed to them.

The silence was becoming oppressive, so Jaune spoke up. "So, that name you gave my friends, is that your real name?"

Saber paused for a moment. "Yes...it is," she said cautiously. She spoke no more, so Jaune tried to push on.

"Would you prefer if I called you that? Or is Saber still cool?" he asked.

She glanced in his direction, her mask covering her expression. "Saber is more suitable when we are out where prying ears could overhear." She cleared her throat. "However, if in private, you wish to call me by my name, that would be...acceptable."

Jaune smirked at her bashfulness. "Well, I think it's a great name, so 'acceptable' it is!" She smiled along with him.

Their search went on for hours without any apparent result. Saber explained that because her visions were not always clear, in addition to the fact that every part of the forest looked exactly the same as every other part, would make it hard to tell even if they did stumble upon where the last Servant would be summoned.

Saber's hand shot up to her sword's hilt, startling Jaune. She scanned the surrounding area. Jaune drew Crocea Mors in preparation. There was a pregnant pause where the world seemed to be holding its breath.

There was a snap of a branch on the ground, and quicker than Jaune could follow, Saber sped in the direction of the sound. Jaune relocated her a second later standing with her blade drawn down into a bush.

Jaune heard nervous laughter. "Uhh, hey, Lucina! Mind p-pointing that away from me? I like my head attached to my body. Hehe...he…"

Saber sighed and sheathed her blade. From behind the bush, a red-hooded figured popped up. Jaune gasped in exasperation. "Ruby! What are you doing?!"

Ruby was poking her index fingers together, embarrassment flooding her features. "Hehe, well you see, I was in the locker room cause I wanted to do some late night cleaning on Crescent Rose, and I saw you guys get your sword, so I got really curious and started following you guys, and you started heading towards Emerald Forest, and I wanted to know what you were hiding and then Lucina almost killed me and I'm really, really, really sorry. Like so sorry."

Jaune facepalmed. She sounded more sorry for getting caught then actually following them. "Ruby it's really dangerous out here. You need to go back to the dorms."

Her cheeks puffed out. "I'm not a kid, Jaune! I know that. Besides, _you're_ out here, too."

"I know that, but I have Saber to protect me!" he said, arms outstretched in aggravation.

Ruby's eyebrows scrunched up. "Saber? Is that, like, her nickname? Anyway, she's wicked fast! Why didn't either of you say she had a speed semblance like me. Also, what's with her costume?"

Jaune clutched at his head, a million excuses flooding his mind. He needed one that was believable and that would keep Ruby from spreading this incident to anyone else.

He couldn't come up with anything on the spot, though, and his head started pounding from the implications of the mess this could create. The truth threatened to bubble up and flood over, the burden of his secret bearing down too heavily.

Saber came to his rescue, however, urgency lacing her voice. "Ruby, listen to me very carefully. For reasons I cannot explain, I need you to go back to your quarters immediately. If not for my sake, then for Jaune's and your own. I will not be able to adequately protect both of you should someone attack, and unfortunately Jaune will have to take priority. Since I would not wish you to be harmed or killed, I ask you to go with all haste and keep this ordeal to yourself until Jaune and I can explain sometime tomorrow. Do you understand?"

Ruby's eyes were as wide as saucers. She seemed a bit shaken but she nodded and turned to run back to the dorms. Jaune didn't even have time to breath a sigh of relief before a dozen knives rained down from the sky towards the fleeing girl.

Saber rushed in, grabbed the slightly shorter girl by the waist, and moved her out of the way of certain death. Assassin dropped down from the sky, a knife in either hand, and went in for the kill. Saber pushed Ruby out of the way and blocked the attack with her sword.

Jaune deployed his shield, but before he could even attempt to help, a completely identical Assassin dropped down in front of him. "Such a gentleman, running in to help the fair maiden," he said in a sing-song voice.

There were two Assassins? Jaune was still new to this Holy Grail War business, but he was pretty sure that counted as cheating. "Now I know what your thinking," drawled the Assassin in front of him while the other battled Saber, "how could there _possibly_ be two of me. Well, the answer is simple, I-" He cut off and lunged for Jaune's throat, a knife in his hand.

Jaune barely brought up his shield in time to deflect. He knew that wasn't going to be enough to stop the Servant from attacking again, so he brought his foot back, braced himself, and pushed with all his might in a shield bash.

Assassin flowed with the momentum and backflipped once, landing on his feet. "Not bad, kid, not bad. You kept your eyes trained on me. One of the first rules of battle is 'don't let your opponent out of your sight'."

Jaune figured if he could stall this Assassin, Saber could finish off the other one and come help him. "How are there two of you? I thought there was only one Servant per class."

Assassin laughed, almost like he knew Jaune was trying to buy more time. "One of my abilities is to make clones of myself. They can't take a hit, but they're quite useful in attacking multiple enemies at once. That piece of info is a freebie, by the way."

Jaune grunted. "I feel like being able to be in two places at once is a bit unfair."

The mask within the hood cocked to the side, as if in confusion. "Now...whoever said I could only make one clone?" he asked, a sickly sweet smile audible in his voice.

Dread pooled into Jaune's stomach. He spun to look at Ruby. She was still on the ground where Saber had pushed her, shaking like a leaf and wincing every time the two Servants clashed. Right behind her, deep in the shadows of the night, a knife crept towards her throat, glinting darkly.

He tried to take a step, a shout forming in his chest, but all the air was rushed out of him as he was slammed forward into the ground. A hand held his head down, Ruby and Saber filling half his vision, the other half covered by the dirt. His arms were pinned to the sides by another hand and a foot.

"Not only did you take your eyes off me, you also turned your back to an opponent. That's two major rules broken." Assassin clicked his tongue. "I'll kill you last for trying to protect the small one, though. Those who break the rules are scum, but those who abandon their friends are worse than scum. You have my respect for that."

Jaune tried to scream, but it came out too muffled for Ruby to notice it in her shocked state. Jaune squirmed and struggled, hoping against hope that he could get a limb free. He saw the knife creep closer, and felt a tug in the recesses of his mind. He _had_ to protect Ruby.

With a sudden rush of strength, he shook off Assassin's grip of his right hand. Jaune reached for his sword that had dropped just out of his reach. As soon as his fingers closed around the hilt a knife seared through the middle of his palm and pinned it to the ground.

A stifled cry of pain erupted from his throat. Tears clouded his vision. "Hmm, you need to focus to have your aura up. So surprise attacks are still effective." Assassin's voice felt far away. All that existed in Jaune's world was the blade wedged halfway into his hand.

The tug in his mind faded away. He blinked to clear his sight. The third Assassin's hand suddenly accelerated and went in for the kill. Jaune's heart stopped.

In a burst of speed, Saber cut the Assassin in front of her in half, the two pieces disappearing into smoke. She blurred again, attacking the Assassin behind Ruby, forcing him to jump back to avoid a fatal strike. Ruby's head spun, first to the battle now behind her, then to Jaune, her eyes widening at seeing his situation.

The one holding him down clicked his tongue in annoyance and shifted on top of him. "Sorry, kid, change of plans. I guess you die first."

"NO!" cried Ruby. Jaune saw her hold her hand out. He looked up. Assassin plunged a knife towards his neck. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of red light.

Assassin paused mid-swing. "What?! The seventh is here?!" Jaune felt the Servant jump off of him. Almost immediately he felt another presence pass over him.

He now heard the sounds of two battles. One with Saber, and one with his mysterious saviour. Agonizingly slow, he wrapped his left hand around the knife and mustered up his willpower. Teeth grit, he pulled the knife out of his hand with a jerk. He barely bit down a scream and had to struggle for a couple seconds to keep conscious.

When the pain subsided, he compacted his shield into a sheathe and clipped it to his side. His right hand wasn't able to hold his sword properly, so he held it in his left. It would be awkward, since he hadn't practiced at all like this, but it was better than being defenseless.

He turned to see who had saved him from certain death. He didn't get a good look since the figure's back was to him, but they turned their head to the side and Jaune caught a flash of steel grey eyes. "Boy, get my Master to safety. I'll deal with this one," said a deep voice, coolly. Jaune nodded and turned to do exactly that. His first priority was Ruby's safety.

He ran up to her and held out a hand. She took it shakily, confusion, fear, and shock clear on her expression. Before she could ask anything, Jaune said, "I'll explain everything soon, but we need to get out of here first." She nodded, dazed. He sheathed his sword so he could take her hand and pull her along. In the back of his mind, he noticed fresh Commands Spells in the form of a three-part rose on her right hand.

They ran away from the sounds of battle, and the silence of the woods quickly enveloped them. All that was audible was the thumping of their feet as they sprinted as fast as they could.

Between breaths, Ruby managed to say, "Jaune we can't just leave them!"

"Don't worry, Ruby," he said, "Saber isn't a regular human. And if what I think just happened, happened, then neither is that other guy. They're probably the only ones who could handle Assassin." He just hoped they didn't run into any Grimm that the battle had attracted.

0o0o0o0o0

Assassin studied the freshly summoned Servant. He wielded two identical curved swords, one white and one black, which was strange by itself since he definitely wasn't a Saber. His last shadow clone was leading the actual Saber as far as it could from both himself and the two kids now running off into the woods before she inevitably took it down.

White hair above gray eyes and tanned skin didn't give away any defining details about his origin, and neither did the man's black armor or the red cloth over it. He didn't have the look of madness apparent in most Berserkers. He couldn't be Assassin, and Lancer didn't seem feasible with the swords. Caster and Archer seemed unlikely, which left Rider as the premier option. Heroic Spirits always had weird exceptions, however, so nothing was off the table.

His opponent spoke first, breaking the silence. "I can only assume you are Assassin, given the outfit."

Assassin smiled behind his mask. "Correct! Unfortunately we're out of the usual prizes, but there's a special deal going on. For the low cost of your head, I'll make your Master's death quick and painless! Really, it's a steal."

The knight in red huffed. "I don't like for your carefree look on killing such a young girl. Even though I tend to avoid unnecessary fighting, I'll make an exception for you." He lowered himself into a fighting stance.

Assassin blinked, and the knight was gone. His instincts screamed at him to move, so he threw himself to the side and rolled to his feet. He drew two knives from his pouch and brought them up just in time to block an overhead strike.

He flipped over his opponent and threw out a kick, but hit empty air. He landed, and they traded a few more blows before separating. _I'm faster than him,_ Assassin thought to himself, _but despite our difference in speed, he's able to keep up with me somehow. And that shouldn't make sense._

It was time to pull out the big guns. He was taking no chances. His Master was getting impatient with his failed attempts and this was the perfect opportunity to kill this lone Servant before he got his bearings. Underneath his mask he opened his left eye, where three black swirls spun around his pupil once before slowing to a stop in the red of his iris. With his now greatly enhanced perception, the world seemed to move a bit slower.

A knife in each hand, Assassin prepared to jump back into the fray. Before he could, the knight _threw_ his curved swords at him. It was a simple thing to deflect them, but the knight summoned another pair and threw them as well as he started to run towards Assassin. Those blade were deflected as well, flying off into the distance.

The knight summoned a third pair, and as he drew close, sliced downwards with both swords diagonally. Assassin started to bring up his knives to block, but halfway up he felt multiple objects pierce his back, leg, rib, and shoulder in rapid succession. Not even half a second later, the knight finished his downward strokes and cut deeply into Assassin's chest.

Blood spurted out of Assassin's mouth as he fell to his knees. He looked to see what had pierced him, and saw two pairs of copies of the swords the knight held in his hands.

His victorious opponent must have sensed his confusion and said, "Kanshou and Bakuya, the married blades. They attract one another. I throw two pairs, strike with a third, and the thrown ones converge in an unavoidable attack." The man huffed. "Next time, leave children out of the fight. Such idiocy."

The knight thrust both of his blades into Assassin's chest. Assassin fell sideways and hit the floor with a squelch. Blood quickly pooled all around him. He barely saw the knight walking away with his blurry vision.

He started to fade away into motes of light. _I failed you, Obito, Rin. I'm...sorry…_

The swords clattered to the forest floor before also disappearing, leaving a pool of blood never to be discovered.

0o0o0o0o0

Jaune wished, for what wasn't even the first time that day, that he wasn't such a hindrance. If it were anyone else besides Ruby stuck with him in the middle of Emerald Forest they would have been better off together, but with her speed Semblance, Ruby could have been out of the woods, and out of danger, in no time flat. He knew he could never convince her to leave him alone and get to safety, so he didn't even waste his breath.

Tree after tree passed them. In the distance, he could see the faint outline of red eyes. The Grimm had sensed the fighting. Jaune hoped against hope that they would stay away long enough for them to get back to Beacon.

That thought didn't last long, as a pair of Beowolves leapt out directly in their path. Jaune skidded to a stop a dozen feet away, and Ruby almost barreled into him. He heard her gasp as the Grimm both jumped forward into an attack, but the danger was short lived.

Saber appeared in a gust of wind, decapitating both beasts with one stroke. Jaune spun around to see if any other Grimm were surrounding them, but there were no more eyes glowing in the shadows.

"Be at ease, Jaune. I slew all the creatures around us. Quickly now, we must leave before-" Her eyes widened for a split second before she jumped backwards, narrowly missing three arrows diving into the ground where she had just stood.

Another volley of arrows flew at her, which she blocked with two fast swipes of her sword. Her head spun to her right, her foe now located. Jaune looked and saw his mysterious saviour from before standing atop the lowest hanging branch of a tree, holding a black longbow.

The knight in red dismissed his bow and hopped down to ground level. "Those were warning shots. It wouldn't do to have another Servant near my Master, after all."

Saber huffed. "A bowman? And a novice one, at that. Giving away your position, yielding your high ground, and 'warning shots'?" Saber smiled. "I suppose I should not complain, since you _are_ my enemy."

The knight raised his eyebrow. "Enemies? That's not what our Masters seem to think," he said as he crossed his arms.

"It is no fault of Ruby's that she summoned you. Her being in this war means she is in danger, which my Master does not want. The solution is simple, then," said Saber as she readied her sword. "To dispatch you with great haste."

The knight's blades appeared in his hands a moment before Saber dove in with a flurry of blows. The clash lasted for a second before both Servants rushed off into the forest.

Jaune shook himself out of his stupor. "Wait!" he yelled, but it was too late. He turned to Ruby, whose face was slack with awe. "Ruby, we have to stop them before someone gets killed!" She nodded and they sped off into the same direction as their Servants.

Despite their slower speed, it wasn't hard to follow the battle. Broken trees paved an obvious path and the clash of swords could be heard in the distance. Jaune strained his body to go faster. The telltale sounds of fighting were getting closer, and just in time, as Jaune was running out of breath. Him and Ruby broke free of the tree line into a small clearing. They stopped at the edge, both of them gasping.

They watched in horror as the two warriors fought while they caught their breath. Ruby timidly spoke up first, "Why are you guys fighting? Please stop!" She went ignored, however.

"Hey, didn't you guys hear her? She said to stop. _I'm_ telling you to stop!" he shouted in aggravation. Again, they seemed to ignore him. He clenched his fists, anger boiling up inside him.

Saber went in for a horizontal cut, but before it could be blocked she reversed her momentum and attacked from the opposite direction. There was no way the knight in red would be able to block or dodge in time.

Time seemed to slow down for Jaune. He vaguely registered Ruby shouting next to him, but even with her Semblance, there would be no way for her to cross that great a distance before the attack hit.

Jaune felt his right hand burn. He took a step forward and reached out. "SABER, STOP!" he cried. A red light emanated from his hand, and the burning washed away. Saber froze, seemingly struggling with an invisible force. The knight jumped backwards with no hesitation, landing next to Ruby and Jaune as his weapons disappeared.

The force holding Saber released her and she stumbled forward. She seemed ready to jump into the fray again, but the knight raised his hands in surrender. "Wait, Saber. Think for a moment. If I really was your enemy, I could have easily taken your Master's head just now."

Saber seemed to think for a moment, then sheathed her blade. "I suppose you are correct." she said. "My apologies, I was on edge from Assassin's attack."

The knight lowered his hands. "Neither you nor your Master will have to worry about him anymore. No thanks is necessary." He said the last part with a smirk. Saber was taken aback for a moment but she nodded her head in acknowledgement.

Jaune let out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding. The tension fled from his body. "That...that was a little too close." Ruby dropped down to her knees with a big sigh.

The knight turned to her. "With all the excitement, I haven't had the chance to properly introduce myself to you, Master," he said as he bowed slightly. "Servant Archer, at your service."

Ruby had a look of pure confusion on her face. "I'm gonna need a really long explanation, aren't I?"

0o0o0o0o0

The walk back to their dorms was a long one, which gave Saber plenty of time to go over everything with Ruby, just like she had with Jaune. Archer stayed quiet for the most part, while Jaune spoke when he felt he could explain something in a way Ruby could understand better.

"Ok, I think I get what's going on. I think," said Ruby. "I guess the only question I have left is does this mean Jaune and I have to fight, too?" Her voice was laden with worry.

Saber smiled. "No, of course not. It is very common for Masters to team up to bolster their strength against the rest of the Masters." The smile dropped from her face and her tone turned serious. "However, even in the best scenario, assuming Archer and I are the last remaining Servants, we would eventually have to fight."

Even that tiny possibility seemed to amp up Ruby's anxiety. Jaune put one hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, Ruby, we'll find a way around it. I promise." That eased the visible tension in Ruby's face. She smiled and nodded her head in thanks.

"So," said Archer, speaking up for the first time in a while, "an alliance between an idealist boy who thinks himself a hero, his blue-clad Saber, a red-clothed girl, and her Archer." He chuckled and mumbled something that sounded like "This situation is a little too familiar for my taste."

Saber put a hand on her hip. "What do you mean by that, Archer?" she challenged.

He crossed his arms in front of his chest. "There is irony in this situation for me. Maybe fate is giving me a chance to do things the right way in a similar scenario to something that happened to me once." Archer closed one eye and smirked. "No matter, if my Master is okay with an alliance, then who am I to refuse her?"

Ruby blushed. "Uh, you don't- um, I mean calling me 'Master' is kinda weird. Ruby is fine."

Archer nodded his head. "Ruby. Yes, the sound of it suits you." She seemed to get further flustered.

Jaune pulled out his scroll and noticed how late it had gotten. "Woah, Ruby, we need to head back, like, right now." He looked to the two Servants. "You guys can just hang around in your spirit form or whatever. As long as no one sees you, you should be fine."

They both nodded, so Jaune and Ruby ran off towards their dorm. Even though they were both exhausted, it didn't take long to reach their destination. They stood outside their respective doors. Before either could go in, Jaune turned to Ruby.

"Hey, I know it's kinda scary, all this Holy Grail War stuff," he said in a hushed voice, "and to be honest it still scares me, but we'll get through it together."

Ruby was still for a moment, and in the dim light of the hallway, Jaune couldn't make out her features. She suddenly took a step forward and hugged him. He heard a muffled "Thanks."

And as soon as it began, it ended. She turned and entered Team RWBY's room. Jaune was left alone in the silence. He fought to keep a smile off his face as he entered his own team's room. Ren, Nora, and Pyrrha were all asleep. Jaune's exhaustion hit him hard as he lay down after changing into his pajamas. His last thoughts were of how things might have gone differently in the woods, and as sleep finally took him, he wondered what different routes he could've taken if he was in that situation again.

0o0o0o0o0

Archer stood atop the roof of the building his Master slept in, looking out over the rest of the school grounds. He scanned the surrounding area with his Hawkeye skill, which allowed him to pick out individual leaves on trees over even vast distances. When he was satisfied that there were no immediate dangers, he allowed himself a moment to ponder recent events.

It felt like both an eternity and simply a moment ago that he had finished a Holy Grail War, and now he was thrust into another one? This time on another world, at that. This was like nothing he had ever heard of.

 _Could this be Zelretch's doing? Only the Second Magic could be capable of something like this._ It seemed unlikely, however, as the Second Magic, or as some called it, the Kaleidoscope, was a way to move through parallel worlds. Remnant was an entirely different planet, with an entirely different history. There was no magecraft here, but Aura and Semblances and Dust.

But someone, or something, had to have moved the Holy Grail ritual to this world. They had to have tampered with it, also, as the original would have only summoned Heroic Spirits of his own world. This Grail had pulled from other worlds besides his own and Remnant to fill the Servant containers.

Not only that, but what was the energy source for so powerful a ritual? There seemed to be no magic or magecraft on this world, yet the Grail must be powered somehow. Could Aura or Dust be used as a substitute? And how much would be needed?

A headache started to form as Archer thought about these things. A Counter Guardian like him didn't tend to think in depth about questions like these when he was summoned. They got their orders from the World and carried out their mission. Was he expected to clean up this world's messes as well? Surely Alaya didn't expect that much from him.

A sigh escaped his lips. There was no use stewing over his current predicament. Answers would either show themselves, or they wouldn't. He supposed he'd had to live with it either way.

"You seem deep in thought, Archer," said a crystalline female voice. Of course, Archer had sensed Saber come up behind him. He wouldn't be much of a Heroic Spirit if he hadn't.

"What of it?" he replied. He turned his head to look at his fellow Servant. Her posture was relaxed. She either trusted him or was confident enough in her own abilities if he tried something. Probably both. Of course, he knew he could trust her. Or at least, he could trust her word, which was so close to being the same thing for this Saber that the difference was negligible.

She walked up next to him and looked out to what he had been scanning moments ago. "Nothing, just an observation. To initiate small talk." She cough into her hand. "Which I am not well versed in, by the way."

Archer huffed in amusement. "Well, I suppose if we're to work together, we should be familiar with one another."

Saber smiled in relief. "If you would not mind me asking, what is your wish?"

He wasn't surprised by the question. The whole reason for a Servant to want to win was to grant them a wish. Of course, the War was a sham, the wish a fake motivator for mages and Heroic Spirits to participate in a blood bath to activate the Grail. It acted as a way for a magus to access the Root of the World, something all mages wish to achieve in their lifetime. Only a select few knew the Grail's true purpose.

However, this Grail had obviously been tampered with, and who knew how much it had been altered. And that wasn't even considering that this world might not have a Root. Archer didn't know what previous information he could trust, so he would stick to what had been given to him.

"I have none," he said after a moment.

Saber was taken aback. "How is that possible. All Servants have a wish they desire to be granted. It is the whole reason we are summoned."

Archer took another moment to gather his thoughts. "I thought I had a wish once. More of a desire, really. I longed to kill a certain person. To erase a mistake from the history of mankind. To make sure I never-"

He cut off and looked away from Saber and paused. "But when faced with that opportunity, my ideals betrayed me. Or rather I should say I betrayed my ideals, and they saved me. Therefore, Saber, I have no wish."

He looked back to see her staring intensely at him through her butterfly mask. "May I ask what those ideals were?"

"I wanted to be a Hero of Justice. To save everyone. I didn't want anyone within my reach to cry. I know now that those are just fancies. Something I believed in when I was a young, foolish, naive boy. But…"

Saber leaned in a bit. "But…?"

Archer smiled. "But even still, knowing all that, they were beautiful ideals, and I was not wrong in believing in them."

Saber smiled, and Archer noted how radiant she seemed. "I agree wholeheartedly, Archer. I can rest assured knowing you are someone I can entrust my Master's life to."

Archer huffed. "And your wish, Saber? I'd assume you'd want to reverse that hellish apocalypse that befell your world."

Saber took a cautious step back and slowly rested a hand on her sword. "How…" she said with a hint of bewilderment in her voice.

Archer tensed a bit, but outwardly remained relaxed. "Calm yourself, Princess of Ylisse, I meant nothing by it. I read of your past endeavors in your sword. Your blade has a long and rich history, older than most. I admire your strength and resolve. I don't know if I could have done what you've done."

Saber ripped her mask off of her face. "How do you know of such things! Speak now, Archer, and quickly."

"It's a bit complicated to explain fully, but the short of it is that I have a special connection to swords. I can read their history with just a look. I know everywhere your Falchion has been and everything it has done." Of course, since it was a divine construct made of a dragon's fang, Archer couldn't replicate it with his Projection, but he could still read it.

Saber deflated. "So you know my True Name, and with it my weaknesses."

Archer, on a whim, reached out and ruffled her hair. She smacked his hand away with a blush and a pout. "Do not overworry, Saber," he said, "I don't intend to win this war. Just ensure that our Master's survive. That, if anything, is my current wish."

Saber looked up at him fiercely with her azure blue eyes. "I demand to know your True Name, then. It is the only recompense that will satisfy me."

He laughed, the sound foreign to his own ears. "Very well, I suppose there's no harm to it this time around. My name is Emiya."

Saber held out her hand, determination etched into her face. "I very much look forward to working with you, Emiya."

Archer took it. "Likewise, Lucina."

0o0o0o0o0

 **Well there it is. I hope you guys liked it. A lot happened, but feedback on any of it is always welcome. Two Servant identities fully revealed and a third is majorly hinted at. Like it's pretty obvious. Also for anyone curious about my major decision for this fic that I mentioned earlier, I was stuck on whether I wanted to have multiple parallel routes like the Fate/stay night visual novel has, but I wasn't sure I could pull it off. I've decided to try and go for it, so this first fic will be the first route, Crusade (not sure of the name 100%, but I'm pretty okay with it for now), and there's a full second one that I've planned out partly. A third might be in the works but that one is just an idea for now.**

 **As always, reviews are always a nice incentive for me to write, even if it's to trash talk this whole fic. I'll write the next chapter out of pure spite just for you.**

0o0o0o0o0

 **Every once in a while, I'll post a stat sheet like this one when enough about a Servant is revealed where I'll feel like there's nothing spoiler worthy in their ability descriptions. Don't take these TOO seriously, it's just a fun little thing I did before I even started writing the fic for all the Servants. I've seen other Fate fics do this, especially ones with crossover Servants. I enjoy them, and I figure there's gotta be some people who read this who will, too.**

 **Saber:**

Name: Lucina

Title: Princess of Ylisse

Class: Saber

Master: Jaune

Gender: Female

Alignment: Lawful Good

Strength: B

Endurance: C

Agility: B

Mana: D

Luck: C

Noble Phantasm: B

 **Class Skills:**

Magic Resistance - C

Grants protection against magical effects. Lucina has some resistance to magic, but not as high as some of the magic practitioners from her homeworld.

 **Personal Skills:**

Brand of the Exalt - C

Lucina's left eye, bearing the mark of the Exalt, ruler of the kingdom of Ylisse, lets her judge the worth of someone's character by looking at them.

Future Witness - B

As someone who has bore witness to the future and has knowledge of what happens, Lucina is in tune with things that are to come. Her gut instinct is usually correct and she can sometimes see a vision of the possible future.

 **Noble Phantasms:**

Parallel Falchion "Naga's Fang" - B

A sword crafted from the fang of a divine dragon, its blade is completely indestructible. It's has an anti-dragon property, meaning it will deal super effective damage against dragons and beings with dragon properties. It can be used to heal the wielder, and by extension, their master.

Butterfly Mask "Guise of the Hero King" - C

A mask that can conceal Lucina's identity, it will fool people into thinking she someone different from her unmasked self, so long as they don't directly see her put it on or take it off.


	4. Interlude I: Rider

**This short little interlude is a test of sorts. If this goes well, every couple of updates I'll post a small chapter like this that will be a change in perspective to one of the other major players in the Grail War. A tease for things to come without giving away too much, and a way for you guys to get into the heads of some interesting characters.**

 **I was debating which Servant's POV I wanted this first interlude to be from, and Rider seemed an easy choice in the end. He was probably my favorite character to make a Servant out of, and also one of the hardest. Can't explain too much why, but maybe after his identity is revealed I will.**

 **Anyway, enjoy!**

0o0o0o0o0

Rider looked out over the city, watching swathes of people walk about. His elevated position on the looming building gave him a wide view of the goings-on below him. Even at this late hour, the flow of foot traffic had not ceased. In his world, it would have been lucky to find a person or two strolling about at night. Then again, his world did not have any cities of this magnitude and scale.

The wind fluttered his dark blue cape, but the hood that was attached to it remained firmly in place over his head. He breathed deeply. Nights like this always refreshed him. All he needed to feel at home was a roaring fire pit and a tune to play.

But his existence was not one of relaxation, he lamented silently. He was a creature born of conflict and necessity. Of the need for a hero and the burden falling to him. No matter, he had long grown accustomed to it.

He leaped from rooftop to rooftop casually, flying past distances even those with Aura would be hard pressed to reach with their natural limits. He had no destination in mind. His Master was a peculiar one, content with Rider sitting out of conflicts unless absolutely necessary, even giving him autonomy to engage when he felt it prudent.

Not exactly an ideal Master for a Holy Grail war, but one that fit Rider's mentality well enough. He took one last leap and landed in a crouch, the sheath of his sword making a slight noise as it hit his back. Usually it would have made a more metallic sound, but he had wrapped the entire thing from tip to pommel in cloth soon after being summoned. After all, it wouldn't do to be instantly recognized by every Heroic Spirit who caught a glance of his weapon. Such was the shortcoming of having a blade as famous as his.

He could have dismissed the entire thing altogether and called for it as needed, but the familiar weight of the leather strap on his right shoulder comforted him. Besides which, opponents would mistake him as having only close range options, which was to his advantage.

Surprise had taken him at first when he had realized his shield hadn't been summoned with him, nor could he call it to him, but it was one less thing to wrap he supposed. Even his clothes, differing from usual, gave him a degree of anonymity he otherwise wouldn't have. Really, he'd been lucky as far as his regular iconography being changed was concerned. A Servant's hidden identity was at the top of the priority list, after all.

Rider's sharp ears caught a scream a block to the west. He flew into action, taking only two jumps to reach the origin point of the sound. Three men surrounded a woman in the middle of a dark alley. It seemed they had chased and cornered her there.

Without a second thought, he jumped down, landing between the helpless victim and the closest aggressor. The man's eyes widened for a split second. "What the-" he sputtered, before he lunged with a knife in hand.

Even had Rider not been a Servant, it was a clumsy strike that could easily be dodged. He sidestepped, grabbed the man, and hip tossed him. His two friends hesitated for a split second in surprise, which was more than enough time for Rider to quickly blur between the two, a punch and a kick sending them flying into unconsciousness.

The first man managed to get to his feet and pulled a firearm. Rider's world didn't have such things, but he understood them enough from the Grail to know that aiming for the head, such as the thug was, was a novice move. Just like with a bow and arrow, of which he was intimately familiar with, it was better to aim for center mass. There was an exponentially higher chance of hitting the target, and the wound would incapacitate or kill anyway.

Therefore, it was a simple matter to dodge side to side as the would-be assaulter unloaded the entire clip. When the gun clicked empty, the man turned tail and ran, but Rider picked up a littered soda can on the floor and tossed it. With unerring accuracy, he hit the man's head with enough force to knock him out.

Entire engagement time: 7.08 seconds. Total casualties: 3 enemies, 0 allies. Rider smiled to himself, pleased with the outcome. He looked back to the woman, who looked to be in a state of shock, and nodded once. He jumped back onto the roof and continued his patrol. No witty banter, no theatrical flare, no wasting time. A hero didn't need any of that.

He scaled a particularly tall building and looked to the north. There, in the distance, stood Beacon. He already knew of two other Servants there. That brought the total to seven. Though that number hadn't lasted long. Rider hadn't expected one to be killed so soon after the seventh was summoned.

An uncharacteristic sigh escaped him. He had gathered enough information on most of the others to know that he was the probably the weakest, at least statistically speaking. He smiled, nonetheless. When had the odds _ever_ been in his favor? Somehow he always pulled through, though.

A stray thought pulled at him; his first conversation with his Master. First had been introductions and explanations. What had baffled him after that was his Master's complete willingness to give him control of the situation. It had thrown him for a loop, which he supposed was the goal in the first place, judging from how his Master had smirked.

A shake of his head dispelled the image in his mind. Out of habit more than need, he tightened the leather vambrace on his right forearm and pulled up his boots.

Just before he was about to take off once more. He heard a soft footstep behind him on the rooftop. Rider spun in one fluid motion, summoning his bow in his left hand and an arrow in his right. In the same spin, he knocked the arrow, drew the string back, and took aim at the figure on the other side of the building.

Right as he was about to release he heard the man speak, "Woah, woah, don't shoot! I swear I wasn't trying to start a fight!" Rider hesitated and took a good look at the figure. The man had black lightweight body armor from the neck down, a black domino mask, and black hair. All dark to blend into the night. A Servant. Not Assassin, but well-versed in stealth, anyways.

The figure held his hands up in mock surrender and spoke again in a rush, "Look, man, I don't want trouble, just wanted to talk. My Master doesn't want me making waves, anyhow." He paused. "So...truce for now?"

Rider hesitated for a split second, but dismissed his weapon and nodded. He wasn't one to strike down an offer of peace, however temporary. As a show of trust, he held out his hand. The other Servant grinned and walked forward. He reached out and the tension around them ramped up. If there would be betrayal, this was the opportunity. Rider tensed his entire body, like a cord ready to snap.

It was unneeded, as the man took his hand and shook it cordially, looking genuinely relieved. Either an honest man, or a great liar. Or both. Either way, Rider would keep his guard up.

"Lancer, by the way," he spoke. Rider nodded in affirmation. "And you are…?"

Rider tilted his head in confusion as he looked up to the taller man. Why would he reveal his class so easily? A jack of all trades like himself was easy to mistake as one class or another, which worked to his advantage. The enemy can't make a defense plan around so many unknowns. Basic tactics, that.

Lancer huffed. "I get it, no need to seem all affronted. Pretty sure you're Rider, anyway." Rider just shrugged in indifference, revealing nothing with his expression or body language.

Lancer leaned in with his arms crossed. "You a mute or something?" Rider just stared back at him and smiled. "Not that I'm judging, mind you. Curious, is all."

No need to confirm or deny any suspicions. Rider had a hunch this man was well versed in various forms of interrogation. Questioning a subject didn't necessarily require torture. Feigned friendship could just as easily pull information out of someone.

Lancer shrugged, and backed off a bit. "In case you didn't know, all seven are summoned, on the off chance you were waiting on that to get active." Rider had known already, but nodded in thanks. Better to act ignorant and weak than knowledgeable and strong.

Lancer took a seat on the roof, calm despite being a dozen feet from someone who he would eventually have to fight to the death. "If you're curious, the reason I decided to say 'hello' was that little act of heroism back at the alley."

Rider stiffened a bit at that. This man had seen that? That could only mean he had been following him. Lancer had _let_ his presence be known. Not the most comforting thought.

"I gotta say, your moves are pretty impressive for someone who seems like they fight with weapons most of the time." Rider hummed his thanks, still wary despite the praise. "I would've gone to help that chick, but you were already on your way and I figured I'd see what you'd do, get a taste of your character."

The man grinned mischievously. "You didn't disappoint." He stretched his arms a bit before standing back up. "You wouldn't mind a little spar, would you?" Rider gave him a deadpan look.

Lancer laughed good-naturedly. "Just kidding. Sheesh, tough crowd. Anyway, just dropped by to say hello, get a first-hand feel for you." Rider knew there was another reason. Lancer wanted Rider to know he could get the drop on him, to induce some paranoia. A smart move, but useless for someone like Rider, who had the highest level of mental fortitude. Head games had never worked on him.

Lancer turned with a wave of his hand. "See you around, then," he said with mirth in his voice.

Just as the enemy Servant was about to leap off, Rider spoke in a sing-song voice, "Bye~." Lancer stumbled a bit and looked back at Rider, who wore a small smile on his lips. He huffed in annoyance before taking off into the night.

Two can play at mind games, and Rider had been around longer than most to learn from experience. Lancer didn't seem like a bad guy overall, though. Rider had felt a familiar tug on his left hand towards the other Servant. That, coupled with Rider's natural intuition was generally a good basis for someone's character.

If Lancer had wanted, he could have attacked at any point he was unnoticed, but instead had chosen to confront Rider head on with a statement. It was brave, if nothing else. Rider disliked those who slunk around in the shadows, preying on weakness.

With Assassin gone, Archer and Saber apparently teamed up, and Lancer keeping a low profile, that left Caster and Berserker to worry about. A quick skirmish with Caster the other day had yielded no information of note, and Berserker had seemed almost indifferent to him when he had approached.

He had initially been hoping to partner up with Saber and her Master, as he had felt a powerful pull from his left hand to them, which was always a good indication. It seemed a moot point now, however, as it was extremely unlikely that a three-way Servant alliance would be accepted by either of the other parties that would be involved.

He thought for a brief moment on the possible future routes and quickly settled on a course of action. He would let things play out for now and intervene when he thought necessary. He had sensed an immense amount of evil from Caster, while Berserker had been a torrent of negative energy and emotion wrapped up in confusion and bitterness. A strange creature, that one was. Those two seemed to be up to no good, and he would endeavor to hamper them when possible.

He hoped he could make contact with Saber or Archer at some point and converse with them. It wasn't often he felt such a strong sense of courage from people, but that group of four radiated it like the sun.

This was turning out to be an interesting event, with a scary possibility of catastrophic consequences for the people of this city. Rider would strive to protect all those he could, like he had throughout all his lives, as was his nature, his very essence.

He heard a shout of anger and the sound of shattered glass in the distance. He took a breath and leapt. A hero's work was never done, after all.

0o0o0o0o0

 **Hmmm, who could it be? A couple hints here and there, especially with some clever word play that's probably only obvious after the fact. I'd say I gave enough hints that a really dedicated reader could give an educated guess. Less so for Lancer, but still possible, especially if you look at previous chapters. As always, you're welcome to guess in the reviews, or even PM me if you really think you got it.**

 **Reviews, favorites, and follows are always appreciated, especially if you want to let me know if you like the idea for more interludes! Requests would be cool, too. Anyway, see you next chapter.**


	5. Web of Intrigue

**Sorry for the long wait! I went camping for a week, and another weekend I went to San Jose, and the rest was just writer's block and being lazy. But here it is, and I hope you enjoy!**

0o0o0o0o0

The excitement from last night was a stark contrast to the boredom of studying in a library, Jaune noted. He didn't know where Archer and Saber were, but he could vaguely sense Saber's connection to him extending to somewhere near the school, so they were probably patrolling.

Opposite the table from him, Ruby was splayed out, just as bored as he was. The rest of their teams were also around, using their study hall time wisely. The day had started out normally, with the only difference being Ruby shooting him discreet glances when she thought no one else was looking.

It was obvious she wanted to talk about something, but there hadn't been an opportune moment to pull him aside for a significant amount of time. Once study hall was over, they were free for the rest of the day, which was probably why she was so antsy.

Jaune tried concentrating on the textbook in front of him, but it was hard to focus on the intricacies of the geopolitical landscape during the Great War when you had your own war to worry about. Ruby's impatience was affecting him, too, he supposed.

The bell rung, breaking him out of his stupor. _Finally_ , thought Jaune. That period has felt like it had lasted twice as long as usual.

The two sister teams said their farewells to each other, some breaking off into pairs and the rest going off alone to do whatever they had planned that day. Ruby silently followed him out of the library. They walked to a secluded hallway, and when they were sure no one was around Ruby finally spoke.

"So, Jaune, what's the plan?" she asked. Despite last nights traumatic events, she actually seemed _excited_.

"Ruby, I just want you to know it means a lot to me that you think I have a plan," said Jaune half-jokingly. "But really, though, with you and Archer added into the mix, I'm not sure anymore. Let's wait till they get back to come up with something. Saber said she should be back around the time study hall ended."

Saber had told Jaune to meet at the roof of their dorm, where it was highly unlikely anyone would interrupt them, so he lead the way there, Ruby right next to him.

True to her word, the two Heroic Spirits were there by the time they arrived. "Hello, you two," said Saber. She was in casual clothes, and, surprisingly, so was Archer. He wore a black shirt and jeans, with a red jacket, emulating his Servant clothing. It made him look strangely young.

"Hey, Sa- uh, I mean, Lucina," said Jaune. "Sorry, it's weird to switch depending on what you're wearing." She giggled and waved off his mistake.

Ruby inspected Archer's new clothes. "So, do you have a name we should call you when you're like this?" she asked.

He huffed. "Archer will suffice. I'm only wearing this as her behest," he said while pointing a thumb to his side at Saber.

She gave him a pointed look. "It would have looked strange for one of us to be dressed ready for battle and the other not." Her cheeks reddened a bit. "I determined we should coordinate our outfits."

Jaune chuckled. "Where did you even get those clothes? Please don't tell me you stole them." He'd have to track down where they got it from, otherwise, and repay the shop.

"Of course not," said Archer has he glared at him. "My abilities let me Trace and Project simple objects like this, in addition to my specialty of swords." That seemed awfully convenient, but Jaune supposed Servants were conventiant by nature.

"Oh, I just realized there's four of us, so we need a team name!" said Ruby with a glint in her eyes. Jaune was about to explain to Saber and Archer what she meant, but they didn't seem confused at all. He realized belatedly that the Grail would have provided them with information like that when they were summoned. "Let's see...what about J-A-S-R? Team Jasper?"

Archer shrugged indifferently while Saber nodded. "I like it," said Jaune patting her shoulder. "Teams look out for each other, and that's exactly what we are." Ruby beamed.

"Not to ruin the mood, but this war isn't the place for such naivety." Jaune turned to Archer with a frown. Did he have to shut down Ruby so quickly? She looked sullen all of a sudden, which pissed off Jaune all the more.

"We can make a team name without you being a jerk about it," he said with clear irritation in his voice. A strange look passed over Archer's face for a split second before his usual stoicism replaced it.

Archer crossed his arms and looked down his nose at Jaune. "I simply want my Master to understand that there is a time and place for such things. Now may be fine, but in the future we may very well be faced with horrible situations where naive ideology will have to be cast aside." His voice got significantly quieter. "I know more than anyone what it means to cast those ideals. You can take my word on it."

Jaune had no idea how to respond to that. Instead, Ruby spoke up. "But we can't just throw away what makes us, us! I don't know who I'd be if I didn't want to be a hero. Someone who fights for justice when no one else will."

A pained looked flashed on Archer's face, but it disappeared quickly. "I...you're right of course. Ideals can only betray you if you let them. Hold onto yours and never let go, little one, lest you end up like me."

Saber cleared her throat. "This discussion is very enlightening, truly. But let us not stray from the original topic of planning our next steps."

"My apologies," Archer said with a short bow. "I have recently changed a world view which I had held for a long time, and it is...difficult to not fall back into old habits."

Ruby flushed and rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment. "Uh, no worries, Archer! I was probably coming off a little too hyper anyway, since it's pretty exciting to meet real life heroes."

Archer chuckled and the small amount of tension that had built up was dissipated. "Last night, while Lucina kept watch, I scouted out the city to get a better assessment of the battlefield. The only thing of note was some strange activity at the docks, but I only saw the end of whatever was happening."

"Archer and I spoke extensively on the matter after he returned," Saber continued, "and we concluded that we should scout the area tonight. Strange activity does not necessitate Servant involvement, but it could draw others to it if they think it is, so either way it seems best."

Saber and Archer shared a knowing look before she continued. "We also agreed that you two should stay here at the school while we do this."

"Absolutely not."

"No way!"

Jaune and Ruby spoke at the same time. "We're a team, we stick together," said Jaune with a hardened voice. "That's that on that."

"Yea! I'm not just gonna sit around while you two do all the dangerous stuff!" Ruby said as clenched her fists in front of her. Her eyebrows were scrunched together while her lips were set in a pout.

"Jaune, Ruby, I know you two are eager to help, but please hear us out." Jaune could tell Saber had already guessed what their reactions would be. "Remember, this is just a scouting mission. If something does go amiss, then we need to be able to get out of there quickly, which will be much more difficult with you two around."

"Besides," Archer continued, "if it really came down to a fight, you two would hold us back. Need I remind you of how Assassin took advantage of that fact against Saber?" Jaune lowered his head in shame, and he saw Ruby deflate next to him. He had been next to useless that night. At least Ruby had summoned Archer to help. "Servants fight Servants, and Masters fight Masters. Until those conditions can be safely met by knowing exactly who is a Master and where they are, then we, as the Servants, must find out for you."

"It is simply too risky to endanger you two at this moment when we have next to no information on the other participants of the war," said Saber. "We don't even know who Assassin's Master was, so he is still a factor."

Everything they were saying made perfect sense to Jaune. In their situation he would probably say the exact same thing. That didn't lessen the frustration that was boiling within him. He was sure Ruby was feeling the same exact thing.

There was silence as Jaune contemplated their words. "I don't like this. Not one bit. I want that on the record. But…" Jaune hesitated as he looked at Ruby. If he pushed the issue, so would Ruby, and he didn't want to endanger her more than necessary. "But you're right. It should just be you two."

Ruby turned her head to look at him in shock, and he could see the tiny bit of betrayal in her eyes. "Jaune!" she pleaded.

"I'm sorry, Ruby. I want to go as much as you do, but they _are_ right." Her shoulders slumped in defeat. Her silence was deafening to Jaune. "Just...promise us you guys will be careful, okay?"

"Of course, Jaune. We will not take any undue risks," said Saber. Archer closed his eyes and nodded as if it were obvious.

Jaune's scroll buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out and saw Ruby do the same. It was in the group chat for Team RWBY and Team JNPR. Nora was reminding everyone that they were meeting in Juniper's room for 'movie sleepover fun time night'.

Ruby smacked her forehead with the palm of her hand. "That reminds me, I didn't finish Oobleck's essay and it's due tomorrow! I gotta go!" With that, she sped off, leaving a few rose petals behind.

Archer huffed in amusement. "I shall be going as well. I want to see something for myself." He turned to Saber as his outfit changed to his usual one. "I'll be gone until nightfall. We'll met at the appointed place." When she nodded her affirmation, he dissipated into his spirit form.

"Well, then, it seems I will patrol around the area to see-"

"Actually," interrupted Jaune, "I was wondering if we could spar." Heat crept up his neck. "And by that I mean get my ass whooped while you teach me a few things in the process."

Saber giggled with a hand to her mouth. "Of course, Jaune. Is there some place on the school grounds we could fight without being intruded upon?"

Jaune's eyes lit up at the chance to learn even an iota of swordplay from someone who was at such a masterful level. "Yeah, we have training rooms we could use! Let's go while I still have time!" She laughed again at his eagerness as he took her hand to lead her to their destination.

0o0o0o0o0

Archer jumped from branch to branch as he flew eastward from Beacon. For a Heroic Spirit, even one as weak as him, it was a simple matter to cross vast distances in short periods of time, especially when in astral form.

He travelled like that for a few hours until he was in the middle of a dense forest. A quick scan from a tall tree confirmed there were no nearby settlements. Dropping to the ground, he knelt and brought up a torrent of negative emotion to the forefront of his mind. It wasn't hard, considering his past. He just needed to bring up any memory of his time as a Counter Guardian.

From what he understood, this far from civilization, the Grimm were especially frightening. Since there were no steady flow of huntsman or huntresses to cull the beasts, they grew old, large, and wise. Archer waited like that for half an hour before he felt a rumbling.

He looked up to see a giant beast hurtling towards him. With a quick flash of speed, he sidestepped the charge. If he recalled correctly from what the Grail had told him, this species of Grimm was widely known as a Goliath. Though it looked like an elephant from his world, this was many times larger. It was so large it could gore his entire torso with the tip of its tusk. Truly a beast among beasts, it looked to be around fifty stories high.

It turned around and charged again. This time, Archer ran straight at it. Just as it was about to hit him, he jumped up, landing on the thing's trunk and sprinting up to the top of its head. As he ran along its back, a few quick strikes with Kanshou and Bakuya confirmed what he already suspected. The beast's hide was too thick. Of all the Grimm, the Goliath's seemed to have one of the highest durabilities.

 _A perfect target for my test,_ thought Archer. He jumped off as the Goliath kept running beneath and landed in his astral form to lessen the impact. The giant creature turned around after realizing he wasn't on it anymore. It fixed its red glare upon him and he stared right back.

It paused as it seemed to understand Archer was not the usual prey. This monster had assuredly fought and killed countless people before, so it knew when it met someone who could put up a fight. Archer would do more than that.

The beast pawed at the ground, readying its next charge. Archer prepared his attack, black longbow appeared in his left hand and a sword appeared above his right palm, hovering in place.

Thought it _was_ a sword, it did not look like one, with strange edges coiling around the core, spiraling around and curving outward to form a weapon that looked more like a barbed spear. It fell from its upright position in the air into his hand. As he fit it into his bow and pulled the string, the weapon slimmed down into more of an arrow shape.

" _ **I am the bone of my sword,**_ " chanted Archer. He felt his very essence surge throughout his being, strengthening him and his projected sword. The Goliath, sensing his attack, charged full force. Archer aimed upwards at a slight angle and kneeled.

"Hrunting!" he shouted, as he let the sword fly. A red bolt of pure magical energy streaked through the air, breaking the sound barrier multiple times in quick succession. Before the Grimm could react, the sword struck its bone-white mask. Instead of stopping, the attack drilled through and continued out the spine of the creature, ascending and eventually disappearing into the sky.

The Goliath fell forward, its momentum carrying it towards Archer at an alarming rate. Emulating his earlier jump, he landed on the creature once more. He could already see smoke rising from its skin, indicating it would dissipate after a while. Not knowing how long that would take, or if it would affect the body's composition, he had to act fast.

He lay a palm on the dead Grimm. "Trace _on,_ " he said. His structural analysis could let him study the composition of anything, although living things were harder. His magical energy flowed into the decaying Goliath, but a sudden push ejected it almost immediately.

Archer's eyebrows furrowed. In theory, he could see the components of the beast, but another power was stopping him. He tried another three times to make sure, but each time he was forced out with greater urgency. With each successive failure, he felt a well of negative emotion hit him as a backlash.

Someone or something really didn't want him snooping around into what the Grimm were made of. Which meant he was on the right trail. If only he knew anything more than the fact that there was a trail.

After all, a Guardian was not summoned so frivolously into a Grail War as strange as this one with no ulterior motives from the Counter Force. The collective consciousness of humanity, which he had formed a contract with, would not send him to another world if the need was not great.

It was Archer's job to clean up the messes of humanity, even if that humanity was different from his. And what a mess Remnant was.

Well, he had plenty of time left before he had to go and meet with Saber, so a couple more tries with different Grimm couldn't hurt. It would be a good way to stretch some of the weapons he didn't project as often. Reluctantly, even if the admission was only to himself, he thought it could be...fun, too.

0o0o0o0o0

Jaune concentrated as he faced Saber in the training room. She was too fast, too skilled. He had no hope of besting her, even if he resorted to underhanded tactics. Even if she was blindfolded and had one hand tied behind her back. Training with a Servant wasn't conducive for a high confidence level. It was a humbling activity, in every aspect.

"You are improving, Jaune," said Saber. "Just remember not to copy me, and instead to incorporate what you see into your own style." He nodded in response as he wiped sweat from out of his eyes.

They had been going through forms and maneuvers for a while, then spent the past hour going at it for real. Elegant as ever, Saber didn't look worse for wear. Jaune, on the other hand, was soaked from the physical exertion and was panting through his mouth.

Despite it all, he felt _alive_. Like he was really progressing with every clash. It helped that Saber was an excellent teacher.

"I…" Jaune paused for a deep breath. "I think I'm done...for the day." He staggered to a nearby bench and plopped down onto it. Saber calmly sheathed her blade and sat next to him. Close enough to be polite, but far enough so she didn't offend. It was easy to tell she was well versed in etiquette, even if it flew over Jaune's head most of the time.

They say there like that for a while, only the sound of Jaune's heavy breath breaking the silence. "Tell me something about yourself," Jaune said.

If Saber was surprised by the question, she hid it well. "There is too much to tell, and most of it is interconnected. I would not know where to start. Is there any specific topic you would like to know about?"

Jaune thought for a moment. "Who taught you to fight?"

A small smile crept onto her face and a wistfulness was apparent in her eyes. "My father taught me everything I know. He was the greatest swordsman of our age." She chuckled lightly. "Or at least it seemed that way to an adoring daughter."

Jaune smiled. "Well, if you're anything to go by, then I'm sure he was amazing!"

"Thank you, Jaune," she said. "The more I get to know you, the more I understand how you came to acquire such loyal friends." At that, he blushed.

Before he could respond, they heard the door to their massive training room open. In his peripheral vision, he saw Saber quickly dismiss her blade. She was in her casual outfit already, as they had agreed they could pass it off as Jaune showing his cousin how he trained.

Blake walked in with a bored look on her face, but as soon as she saw Jaune and Saber sitting off to the side her eyes widened in surprise. "Oh...I mean, I _was_ looking for you, but I kinda didn't expect you to actually be here."

"Uh, thanks?" said Jaune. "Not sure if that's an insult or a compliment, honestly."

Blake thought for a moment. "Not sure either. Anyway, everyone's out looking for you, since no one could get a hold of you on your scroll." Jaune smacked his forehead with his palm as he looked at all the missed notifications. It was a habit of his to put it on silent mode when he was training or sparring.

"Sorry, I must've lost track of time," he said sheepishly. It was easy to get lost in the moment when he felt his progress jumping forward. The euphoria of noticing improvement was second to none.

"It's fine," said Blake, "but we're all waiting for you to go get dinner." After a moment, she remembered Saber was there also. "If you want to come with us, Lucina, you're of course welcome to."

"The offer is very kind of you, Blake, and I very much appreciate it," said Saber, "but I must decline. I have other matters to attend to, and it is getting late, after all." Jaune's mood soured a bit when he remembered Archer and Saber would be going out without him, but if it was to keep Ruby out of danger, then it was necessary.

"Will you be okay getting back to your apartment?" asked Blake. The question threw Jaune off until he realized she was talking to Saber about where she 'lived'. Of course, there was no such place, as Saber would just find a secluded location at the school and switch to her astral form.

"Thank you for your concern, but I shall be fine. Have a good night." With that, she left the room, off to meet up with Archer at some predetermined location.

Blake looked at Jaune expectantly. "I sorta need to shower, so, uh…"

"Of course you do," she said with a sigh. "I'll message the others to tell them to get started and that we'll be a little late." She pulled out her scroll and sent a quick message in the group chat, which he saw a moment later on his own device.

"You know you don't have to come with me," said Jaune with a raised eyebrow. "I won't get lost on the way there."

"Apparently you can't even remember when dinner is, so I think I do." That was a fair point, if a little blunt.

"Let me rephrase. I don't want to keep you hungry. Really, it's fine." He hadn't wanted to say it straight out, but she was giving him no choice. He already felt guilty enough by delaying his friends.

" _Jaune_ ," she said sternly.

"Okay, okay! Getting up now." He lived with his sisters long enough to know that tone of voice. It meant there was no use arguing, and and further complaints would just dig a deeper hole.

Blake looked pleased with herself as they walked out of the training room and towards the their dorms. It was a quiet walk, as Blake seemed content with a companionable silence. When they got to Team JNPR's room, Blake stopped at the door, but Jaune ushered her in.

"It's fine," he said in response to her indignant look. "Pyrrha, Ren, and Nora aren't gonna care if you were in our room."

To not waste any time, he grabbed a fresh set of clothes and a towel and headed to the adjoining bathroom. The cool shower felt amazing against his skin, and he felt his core cooling down from the intense training session.

He made it a quick one, just rinsing his body once with soap to clear off the layer of accumulated grime. After putting on his clothes and making sure to cover up his Command Spells with his glove, he stepped out of the bathroom feeling refreshed.

Blake was sitting on his bed, reading a book that looked familiar. With a blush, he stormed over and snatched it out of her hand, startling her. "I hear it's generally frowned upon to look through people's stuff."

A small knowing smile crept onto her face. "Is that so? Sorry, I couldn't help myself after seeing this peeking out from under your bed. I thought 'A Hero's Tale' was something only middle schoolers read."

When Jaune glared at her, the smile was swept off her face. "Yea, well I thought 'Ninjas of Love' was something only middle-aged women read," he snarled. Blake's eyes widened at the sudden ferocity. Immediately, Jaune regretted his words. "I...I'm sorry, Blake, I just-"

"No, _I'm_ sorry, Jaune," she interrupted. "It's obvious this book means a lot to you. I shouldn't have poked fun at it."

He averted his eyes. "It's important to me. I'm still sorry, though. I shouldn't have said that."

"We...we were both in the wrong," she said. "Let's just forgive each other and move on?" She phrased it as a question, sounding unsure of herself.

Jaune's anger dissipated and a smile made its way onto his face. With a slew of his own social blunders, he forgot sometimes that Blake was probably just as bad as he was. "Sounds good. Besides, do you think I'm the type of guy to hold a grudge over something petty like that?"

Blake chuckled. "No, I suppose you don't. Anyway, let's head out, I'm sure the others are wondering where we are." Jaune stuff the book back under his bed, further in this time to ensure no one could accidentally see it. As they headed out to the cafeteria, Blake spoke up once again. "So, if you don't mind me asking, why do you like that book so much?"

Normally, Jaune would be hesitant to share, but she had already seen it, so there could be no harm in telling her the full story. "Well, just like you said, it's a kid book, pretty much. My mom bought it for me soon after I told her I wanted to grow up to be a huntsman. The story captured me, especially the main character. I wanted to be someone who could be a hero like that. Not much else to it, really."

Blake was silent for a minute. "I think it's wonderful that you have something like that. An ideal to drive you forward. If you wouldn't mind, could I borrow it sometime? I've never actually read it before."

The request took Jaune by surprise. He knew Blake was a bookworm, but she didn't seem the type to be interested in the fantasy genre. "Sure thing!" he said enthusiastically. "I've never really had a chance to talk about it with anyone, so that'd be awesome."

After that, they fell into a comfortable silence, broken only by the occasional rumble of a hungry stomach. Dinner and a movie would be much appreciated by both of them.

0o0o0o0o0

Archer landed next to Saber, who was standing on the rooftop of the appointed building. He said nothing, which she had already come to expect of him in their short time working together. Saber would have to initiate most of the conversation if it was not pertaining to their objective. "Are you prepared, Archer?" The question was a formality on her part. A Heroic Spirit was always prepared.

He nodded, and they jumped off towards the docks. Each jump crossed vast distances, even in their physical forms, which they had decided to stay in so they could see each other. Servants could vaguely tell where another Servant was if they were in their astral form, unless they had an appropriate Skill to hide themselves. Because it wasn't exact, it would be hard for allies such as themselves to coordinate together.

When they arrived near their destination along the edge of the industrial district, they eased into smaller jumps so they weren't as noticeable. Saber noticed how easy Archer slipped into stealth. Even though she was trained to keep an eye out for such things, and he wasn't hiding from her specifically, the strange warrior was hard to keep track of.

Archer was an anomaly to her. A bowman who used swords, excelled in stealth, could read the history of her weapon at a glance, and apparently didn't care for the Grail in the slightest. He fit no known description of any Heroic Spirit in her memory.

In life she would not have trusted such an individual. As a Servant, though, her Skill, Brand of the Exalt, allowed her to judge the worth of someone's character at a glance. When she had first seen Archer, she saw a man who was at war with himself, making him a hard person to read because of that internal conflict.

That night they had shared True Names, however, she had seen his essence. He was a man who had but a single ideal that drove him. To save others. Someone who thought of themselves as nothing more than a tool, a weapon, to achieve that ideal.

To Saber, who had lived through a literal apocalypse and prevented another, it struck her as a bit naive. Archer seemed content to live that lie. And what a beautiful lie it was. After that, she felt she could trust him, to a certain extent.

If Saber was being honest with herself, Archer had a magnetic personality. His rich, deep voice spoke wisdom beyond his years. Of course, all Servants were summoned in their prime, but Archer seemed to be even more knowledgeable than most. _And he is easy to look at,_ Saber thought with a blush. She was grateful for the mask that hid the upper half of her face, lest he catch her in her moment of weakness.

Casting aside her stray thoughts, she landed next to Archer who had stopped top a building overlooking some of the nearby warehouses. "Have you spotted something?"

Archer stared off into the distance without answering. As strange as he was, his Class still denoted him as a bowman, through and through. His eyesight was exponentially superior to hers. Finally he said, "There is a group of masked people moving crates to various loading trucks. They are armed and seem to be on the lookout for people in the area."

With an unspoken agreement, they leapt off, Archer taking the lead. It took moments to find the warehouse he was talking about, and they landed on a new perch with a good view. They had already decided that if they didn't suspect any Servant involvement, that they would not interfere unless absolutely necessary.

Dozens of masked people milled about, either guarding the area or moving crates. A lot of them had animal features, which meant they were faunus. Saber guess that those who had no obvious faunus trait were hidden by their masks or clothing.

From within the warehouse, another masked person walked out. He looked like any of the others in the area, but he was followed by a distinctly tall figure who wore a black leather jacket with a red tribal design on the back over a grey hoodie, blue jeans, and black shoes. His appearance was so different from that of the rest that he immediately stood out. "Pack up and move out, people! We have to be back at base in an hour." The masked man was obviously of some higher rank than the rest, as they jumped to follow his orders.

The hooded figure walked up to the officer and said something in a low voice that Saber couldn't hear. The officer nodded and joined the rest of the faunus as they prepared to leave. It took another ten minutes, but as the last stragglers drove off, the only person left was the hooded man.

Saber and Archer sat with baited breath to see what he would do. Shocking both of them, he looked directly at them and spoke. "You two can come down, now. The trash is gone."

Saber looked to Archer who nodded. They leapt off and landed across the open area of the dock from the hooded man. "A Servant, then," said Saber. "Faunus have excellent night vision, but we were too far away for any normal person to pick us out."

The man said nothing in response, staring at them from the shadows of his hood. All that could be seen was his grayish-blue eyes that seemed to glow eerily. Next to her, Archer had already summoned his two curved swords, so she unsheathed her own. She would wait on his cue to strike, if they were to at all.

"You two are Archer and Saber, right?" asked the enemy Servant. "I'm Berserker. I'd tell you my name, cause I don't really give a crap if you know my identity, but then my moron of a Master would just get mad."

Archer huffed. "You seem rational for a Berserker."

Berserker crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Yeah, well you seem a slightly less than a pompous asshole for an Archer. Look, tell me where your Master's are and I'll kill you quickly."

"Don't you mean 'or'?" asked Archer with a raised eyebrow.

"Not really, no." And Berserker attacked.

He moved fast, but didn't have the same burst of speed that Archer and Saber had. They scattered to the wind, Archer jumping high and Saber moving to the side. Berserker sprinted with his head low to the ground, turning towards Saber, and with each step the ground cracked from the force.

Saber ducked under a wide arcing punch, but stumbled as she felt the air ripple from the magnitude of the strike. She rolled as Berserker stomped on the ground where she had been, sinking his foot deep into the concrete. Rising to her feet, she made a note to herself to keep her distance from his attacks. Even dodging them in close proximity was not enough, it seemed.

A multitude of arrows struck Berserker in the back, but he was unfazed. The projectiles slid out and clattered to the floor, where they disappeared. Another arrow shot through his head, and remarkably, that didn't slow him down either. He simply pulled it out of himself, his face and hood completely undamaged.

It didn't look like regeneration to Saber, but she couldn't rule out the possibility. Archer dropped down behind Berserker, so he was between them. Since arrows had no effect, they would have to rush him with their swords.

Berserker turned his head from one foe to the other, completely calm and collected. When he looked at Archer, she rushed forward and slashed at his head, seeking to lop it off. Instantly, he turned to face her and grabbed her sword in mid strike with one hand. He raised his other arm in a fist to punch her, but Archer was there behind him.

With a crossing of his blade, he lopped off Berserkers right hand, who grunted in pain. Saber took the opportunity to pull her Falchion from his grip and back off. Archer landed next to her, and she nodded her thanks.

Shocking the both of them, Berserker grabbed his severed arm and held it up to his shoulder, where black and red tendrils burst forth and connected to the loose appendage. The arm slid back into place, looking as good as new.

"Those blades have an affinity against monsters, or else I wouldn't have felt that," remarked Berserker casually. Even a Servant could not heal from such a grievous wound so easily. Even more disconcerting to Saber, there had been no blood.

"An Anti-Hero, then," Archer said. In a lower voice he said to Saber, "He's tough, but he's not fast. I'm sure he's hiding something up his sleeve, but if you distract him, I'll try to lop off his head."

Without another word, he threw his two swords and they spun towards Berserker. Lifting up his arms, and with a guttural bellow, he slammed both his fists into the ground, chunks of the ground flying up into the air all around him. The blades bounced off the airborne debris.

Saber used the cloud of dirt and concrete as cover, closing the distance to her foe in an instant. She struck out, but it was stopped before it reached its target. A massive one sided blade resembling a curved greatsword blocked her own. The dust settled, and she saw the weapon not held by Berserker, but attached to him. The base of his right elbow down was replaced by the gigantic sword, which was almost as long as he was tall.

A bestial grin spread across his face. "Didn't expect that, did you?" With strength greatly surpassing hers, he pushed and sent Saber flying backwards. With a great leap, he closed the distance and raised his arm-blade to strike downwards. Saber barely brought up her blade in time to block. As soon as the two weapons connected, the concrete under Saber's feet crack and she cried out in pain. One hand on the hilt and the other on the flat of her blade, it was barely enough to keep the massive sword from bisecting her in two.

That moment created the opening Archer was looking for, and from seemingly nowhere, he appeared and sliced across Berserker's neck. The sword-arm went slack, and his body dropped to the ground, the head rolling several feet away.

Sweat beaded on Saber's forehead, and she let out a shaky breath as she collapsed to her knees. "Thank...you," she managed to say. Archer dipped his chin in acknowledgement.

"Let us depart, in case someone heard the commotion and decides to investigate the area." He dismissed his blade and helped Saber to her feet.

"Yea, let's." Saber's eyes widened and she saw Archer's do the same as they both realized neither of them had spoken. Archer spun around, and in the same motion summoned and brought up both his blades to defend himself.

A wicked sharp claw struck down and broke through both of the swords, slicing into Archer's torso. He fell onto his back with a cry of pain, and Saber swung out with her own sword to drive off the attacker.

Berserker stood there with no head. Replacing both his arms from the shoulder down were black, four-fingered claws with silver knife-like talons. The headless Servant casually walked up to his decapitated head, picked it off the ground, and just like his arm, reattached it to his head.

 _We should have known better,_ thought Saber, disappointed in herself for the lapse in judgement. _There was no blood when his head was cut off either, just like his arm._

"Playtime is over," said Berserker. "It's time to end this." He crouched low, ready to pounce, but paused just as he was about to leap. There was a terse silence as Saber waited to see what he would do. Her eyes flicked over Archer once, who was propped up on one elbow, but was struggling to do even that. Blood matted his black armor and pooled onto the floor.

Breaking the silence, Berserker growled. "You're lucky, my idiot Master wants me to return immediately. There's an 'emergency' or some shit." His arms rippled, black and red tendrils criss-crossing over them, and when the retreated his arms had returned to normal. "It's been fun. It's not often I fight something that can last more than two seconds. I look forward to eventually killing you."

He crouched low and jumped, _shattering_ the ground below him and flying off hundreds of feet away. Strength of that caliber was abnormal, even for Servants. As soon as she was sure he was gone, Saber rushed to Archer's side.

"Archer!" she cried. "Let me see your wounds."

"It's-" Archer grunted in pain. "-fine, Saber. It looks bad, but it's not as deep as you'd think. I'll be fine. We should get back to Beacon. If another Servant catches us like this, they will surely best us." Saber nodded and helped Archer to his feet, slinging one of his arms around her shoulder.

After all she had been through in life, Saber did not think she was easily frightened, but she could not help the shiver that ran down her spine when she remembered the grin on Berserker's face as he had been ready to tear them to shreds with his claws. Truly, that Servant was more beast than man.

0o0o0o0o0

Anxiety seeped into every fiber of Jaune's being as he walked the halls of Beacon. He had fallen asleep sometime during the movie last night, as had everyone else, and awoken to find Archer injured from last night. He was already well on his way to being fully healed, but the idea that he and Saber had been in trouble last night while he had been wasting away in front of a television filled him with anger.

The anger was directed mostly at himself for being so useless, but he had taken some of it out on the two Servants after they recounted the events of the battle to both him and Ruby. His fellow team leader had been relieved they had escaped intact, and Jaune shared that feeling deep in his heart.

That did not stop him from yelling about how he had been right to be worried that sending them off without backup was a bad idea. Jaune knew he had been unfair and unreasonable; if two Heroic Spirits could not match Berserker's strength, what hope did he have? Still, the hurt and anger within him smoldered, even if it was significantly less than it was this morning. Training by himself for a few hours had helped calm him down as well.

Jaune arrived at his dorm shortly, and after a quick shower to cool down his emotions, he plopped down onto his bed. A sigh escaped him as he lay face down on his pillow. No one else was in the room, which was a miracle since Jaune didn't want to explain his current mood to anyone.

He felt a stab of guilt as he realized he had been neglecting his team recently. In a way, it really wasn't his fault; the Holy Grail War took up much of his time, energy, and thoughts. But even an excuse as good as a battle royale to the death didn't stop Jaune from beating himself up over it.

As much as the future would allow, he would try and spend more time with the rest of JNPR. It wouldn't do for them to start getting suspicious and ask questions. The last thing Jaune wanted was to get more of his friends involved. Ruby was quite enough already.

On a whim, he grabbed Crocea Mors from where it lay next to his bed and sat up. He laid it across his lap and just...stared at it. His mind was emptied of all else, all his worry and anxiety and anger, and he stared. He felt a connection with his weapon, that much was for sure.

For an indeterminate period of time, all that existed was Crocea Mors. It almost felt as if he were staring into a pool of water, his hand poised to reach into it and grab something. No matter how much he willed it, though, he couldn't bring himself to push his hand past the surface.

It seemed a significant accomplishment for some reason. If he could breach that barrier and reach within, it would all make sense. It was a useless feeling, in the end, as his fingers would not even brush the clear liquid.

The image was shattered as his heard and felt his scroll vibrate. A reminder from the group chat that dinner was soon and to meet up at the cafeteria. Jaune got up to leave, bringing Crocea Mors with him. He'd need to detour to the locker room to store it.

A question haunted him the rest of the day. What lay beneath that pool of water?

0o0o0o0o0

 **Well, there it is. A bit shorter than I wanted, but I couldn't think of anything else to extend the chapter without it taking much longer to come out. I'd rather get this out to y'all since it's been a while and I feel bad about not updating in a while.**

 **Who could Berserker be? Again, I feel like it's obvious, but I know who it is, so that's easy for me to say. Still, I'd love to hear guesses, as usual.**

 **Remember to leave a review if you got the time! It's the lifeblood of fic writers everywhere. Anything you say will make my day, trust me.**

 **Don't know when this'll be updated next. I realized long ago that setting deadlines for myself with these things is just asking to miss it. I definitely will be working on chapter 2 of my other active fic first, A Moonlit World, so check that out if you like my writing or you're looking for a supernatural RWBY fic!**

 **As always, thanks for reading.**


	6. The Dragon and The World

**Wow, it's been a while since my last update. What can I say? Kinda lost motivation to write for a good while. This chapter made slow progress, but the most important word a person can write is the next one, so here I am with it finally finished. I honestly do apologise for the long wait, but that's just the nature of fanfiction, as we all know.**

 **Thank you to everyone who reviewed, your words are greatly appreciated, no matter what they were. All (constructive) criticism is also great to read, so I know what to improve on.**

 **Anyway, enjoy!**

0o0o0o0o0

Jaune set down his pen when his fingers started cramping up. He massaged them with his other hand. It was a good time for a break anyway. He had been working on the essay in front of him for the past few hours. It was mind-numbingly monotonous, but necessary since it counted for a huge chunk of his grade in Oobleck's class.

It should count as some sort of war crime to force students to hand write any essay over three pages in this day and age. What was the point of the advancement of technology if it was never used?

Briefly, Jaune considered using a command seal to force Saber to the rest of the damn thing. The immediate relief would be immense, but the scolding he would get from her was sure to outweigh it in the long term.

Besides, giving Ruby any similar ideas would probably end up getting him in a lot more trouble with Archer. That guy could get so...intense. The tranquil fire that lay within his eyes made Jaune glad they were on the same side.

With a shake of his head and a few more finger stretches, he left JNPR's room to grab a snack. Though he couldn't see, hear, or otherwise sense her in any traditional sense, he _felt_ Saber move along next to him. At first, the sensation of someone following him had been off putting, but Jaune had quickly grown accustomed to it.

The vending machine at the end of the hall dispensed its sugary goodness, and Jaune didn't even wait to get back to the dorm to start munching.

Munch munch. Crunch crunch.

 _Wow,_ thought Jaune. _That hit the spot._ He had finished before he had even gotten halfway back to his room. Unfortunately, he was still hungry. And an Arc never denied his stomach.

Saber, instead of speaking, sent a general sense of questioning through their immaterial bond. She didn't feel concerned, merely curious.

"Still hungry," said Jaune. That seemed to sate her. He was always careful when speaking to Saber in her astral form. There was always the possibility that someone was eavesdropping, so as much as he could, he tried to make it sound like regular things people would say to themselves.

The trip was short with the hallways empty due to the late hour. There was always a few staff members still working late in the cafeteria in case students got hungry. The cafeteria itself had a dozen or so other people lounging about. Jaune went to the self serve area, grabbed two bagels, and lopped two heapings of cream cheese into both.

Satisfied, he turned to leave, but caught a glimpse of someone familiar sitting on their own in the corner, head buried in a book and picking at her food absentmindedly. With a huff of amusement, he walked over and sat across from her. Blake lowered her book the tiniest fraction, revealing a raised eyebrow.

"Hey!" said Jaune, as he starting chowing down on his food.

"I'd ask how you're so cheerful this late at night, but I think you just answered that question," Blake said, eyeing the already half-eaten bagel in his hands briefly before returning to her book.

"Apologies for actually enjoying food. I know you grumpy types have a hard time with that," Jaune said with half-suppressed smile. Blake lowered her book once again to glare at him. She looked between the book and Jaune a few times before sighing and tucking it away.

"I'm not going to get any reading done with you around, am I?"

"Probably not," Jaune said. He felt Saber's amusement. First bagel finished, he attacked the second one.

"So what're you up this late for?" asked Blake as she propped up her head with one arm. She continued to pick at her food, which looked like it used to be a piece of cake.

"Working on Oobleck's essay," Jaune said with a mouth full of food. "Thinking too much gets me hungry."

"Of course," she said. "Because using up brain juice requires you to fill your stomach. That makes sense."

"Exactly!" Jaune said. Blake rolled her eyes, but the corner of her mouth was pulled up just enough to count as a smirk. "What about you? Library too crowded at this time of night?"

"No reason," she said, a little too quickly.

"Oh, come on, Blake," he said. "You can tell me."

There was a second where Jaune thought she wouldn't elaborate, but she sighed in acceptance. "I, uh, crave sweets late at night." A slight blush crept onto her face as she avoided his eyes.

Jaune chuckled. "So? What's there to be embarrassed about?"

"I don't like playing into stereotypes," she said with a slight pout. Jaune looked at her with a confused expression. Blake discreetly pointed her eyes upward, which Jaune followed until his gaze landed on her bow.

"Why would that...oooh. I get you." Blake nodded, still looking embarrassed about the situation. "But is that really even a stereotype? Like who would even come to that conclusion?"

"You'd be surprised, Jaune," she said. "Even discounting the inborn prejudices of our society, people will make connections like that even if it has no basis." She looked around to make sure no one was nearby before continuing. "Is it really a animal thing to eat snacks late at night? Probably not. Even it it were, would that affect me, being who I am, in any way? Probably not. Does anyone outside our friend group know about you-know-what? Probably not."

"Still, I can't help but fight it. For my own peace of mind, if nothing else." Blakes eyes were cast down to her plate now. "I know, it doesn't make sense and I'm being silly."

Jaune mulled it over. "I don't think you're being silly." Blake looked up in surprise. "I think everyone has things that make sense to them. Even though other people might not get it, as long as it makes sense to you, that's what matters."

Blake stared at him for a moment, as if trying to read his intentions, but Jaune met it with conviction. Finding whatever she needed to satisfy her that he wasn't messing around, she nodded.

"Thanks," Blake said. "That...actually means a lot."

"Anytime," Jaune said with a smile. They lapsed into a comfortable silence as Jaune finished his second bagel and Blake continued to read. After checking a few things on his scroll and enjoying the short break, Jaune left Blake to her book with a quick goodbye.

Halfway back to his room, he felt a sense of surprise from Saber. She didn't respond to his queries however, her attention seemingly elsewhere, so he patiently waited for her response. After ten minutes of leaning against the wall next to her astralised form, she finally spoke in his mind.

" _ **Jaune, this may sound strange, but we have been...summoned."**_

He looked around nervously to make sure there was no one nearby. "Summoned? By who?"

There was a pause, and he felt her confusion. _**"By the eight Servant."**_

0o0o0o0o0

After grabbing Crocea Mors and his armor, Jaune let Saber lead him past Beacon's grounds. They headed in the direction of the residential district, which was close enough to Beacon that they could sprint the distance in a relatively short amount of time.

Saber had not elaborated on her cryptic statement, and she refused to answer any of Jaune's questions during their trip. It had annoyed Jaune at first, but he soon recognized the look on her face as one of discomfort. She _wanted_ to tell him more, but for some reason, couldn't.

Halfway through the trip, Jaune started feeling the strain of constant sprinting. The solution had been simple, but embarrassing. Saber carried Jaune. Jaune was glad no one would ever see him like this, since none of his friends would let him live it down if they saw him riding piggyback on a girl almost a foot shorter than him.

The trip was exponentially faster after that. The world blurred around them as Saber picked up speed. When they reached the residential district, the barely slowed, and only to give Saber time to pick out which rooftops to jump across.

Saber landed in front of a derelict building in a shady part of town and set Jaune down. Waiting for them in front of the entrance was Ruby and Archer, which was surprising, but at the same time totally expected.

"Hey," Jaune greeted Ruby.

"Hiya. Know why we're here? Archer was pretty quiet about it." Jaune's hunch had been correct. The Servants were being told to keep their Masters in the dark. And amazingly, they were listening. If there was one thing Jaune had learned about Servants since this madness had started, it was that they were a prideful bunch that didn't like being told what to do. Hence why Masters needed Command Spells.

"No, Saber was the same way. I guess we'll find out." Ruby nodded, and they turned to follow their Servants into the building. Jaune was curious, and a little scared, to find out what this was all about. He assured himself that Saber and Archer would never willingly lead them into a dangerous situation, without reason.

Jaune realized the abandoned building must have been a school for young children at one point. Empty doorways that led to small classrooms littered the hallway they walked through. They turned and at the end of the hall was a giant set of double doors. The dark lighting gave it an ominous look that Jaune didn't like in the least.

Archer shoved aside the doors, revealing a huge gymnasium. The ceiling went up a good distance, and the few scant windows on the upper part of the walls let in beams of moonlight. One such beam fell upon what could only be described as a throne in the middle of the empty gym. It was made of jagged stone that jutted up from beneath the wood panels of the floor. And on it sat a man.

"Approach, Master of Saber. Master of Archer," said the man. Though he didn't raise his voice, the sound boomed across the room.

Jaune swallowed hard. All of a sudden, this entire situation seemed suspicious. He looked back on everything that had happened to see if he had missed some crucial clue, but the panic was setting in and it made thinking difficult. Ruby was frozen next to him, so similar thoughts must have been running through her head.

"I said," the voice boomed again, " _approach._ " An invisible force wrapped around Jaune and began to tug him forward, his feet scraping against the hardwood floor. He heard Ruby yelp in surprise and she was dragged along with him. They were a dozen feet from the throne when their bonds disappeared. Jaune got a better look at the man. And with startling surprise, he realized it wasn't exactly a man.

He couldn't be called a kid, either, but the Servant, for Servant he most definitely was, looked closer in age to Jaune than it first seemed. He couldn't have been older than the oldest students at Beacon. However. his blue-gray eyes spoke a different story. There was an ancient wisdom behind them that belied the Servant's physical age.

"Greetings, Masters. I am the Ruler-class Servant who will preside over this Grail War." There was an air of expectation, as if he expected a greeting in return. Ruby was slack-jawed, so Jaune would have to take the lead.

"Uh, I'm Jaune Arc. And this is Ruby Rose."

Ruler nodded. "I know."

"So, can we maybe get some sort of explanation? Like why there's an eight Servant? Or what the Ruler-class is? And why you're not trying to kill us like all the other Servants?" The questions flew out from Jaune before he could think. If there was one thing he hated about the Grail War, it was how much he didn't know.

Ruler leaned forward on his throne, and caught Jaune in a piercing gaze. The moonlight caught on a gold crown sitting atop Ruler's head, surrounded by unruly reddish hair that hung just past his ears. It was intricate, with leaves and swords pointing this way and that. It looked like an impossible crown to wear comfortably. Ruler's light skin gave him a deathly pallor, made even more eerie in the pale lighting.

"You presume much, Jaune Arc, Master of Saber." Ruler leaned back on his throne, almost lazily, and straightened his ornate red and gold coat with his gloved hands. "But I suppose you are not foolish for wanting answers. Normally, there would be a human who presides over the War. One who keeps track of the various goings-on of the Masters and Servants. They would make sure everything goes smoothly." Ruler let out a scoff. "Or at least, as smoothly as one can make something as chaotic as a Holy Grail War."

"When such a person is not appointed, the Grail itself will appoint its own Servant to preside. One of the Ruler class, who holds their own Command Spells over the other seven. If anything was to go awry, I would deal with it." The air of finality in which he said that left no doubt in Jaune's mind that Ruler could absolutely deal with any situation that came up.

Ruler's gaze drifted past Jaune, as if he had stopped existing. "Moreover, this particular Grail War is strange enough to warrant such safeguards. I must look into these matters." Ruler seemed to be talking to himself now. It struck Jaune that this Servant might not be all right in the head.

Ruler shook his head as if casting aside stray thoughts and returned his full attention to Jaune and Ruby. "And what of you, Master of Archer? Have you not any queries for me? You seem the inquisitive type."

Ruby shuffled in place. "Uh, yes, Ruler, sir. Just one. Why did you call us here?"

"That is less of a duty given to me by the Grail and more of a...personal interest. I have, at various points in time, called all the Servants and Masters here to speak with them. As the overseer of the War, it is within my interest to know its participants. Does that satisfy you?"

Ruby nodded timidly. Jaune was about to speak, but thought better of it. He wanted to see where Ruler took this.

"My congratulations on defeating Assassin, by the way. He was a crass one, and I never cared for those who work in the shadows. I was curious to see if your little alliance would fail, but you have surprised me, young Masters and Servants." Jaune internally rolled his eyes. Ruler said that as if he was so much older.

 _Wait,_ Jaune thought, _he's a Heroic Spirit, he probably_ is _a lot older. Or was, before he died._ It was interesting that Ruler spoke to Archer and Saber like children, though. Arrogance? Or was there a basis to it?

"One last thing. Your wishes, should you win. I would hear them."

"I want a world without the Grimm!" Ruby declared with the utmost confidence. It startled Jaune to hear it, since they hadn't talked about it to each other before. "I feel like humans and faunus can start worrying about more important things after that, and get a lot of cool stuff done, y'know?" Ruby's cheeks turned pink, and she poked her fingers together.

Ruler hummed in thought. "Your passion burns bright, Ruby Rose. Very well. And what of you?" He turned his gaze to Jaune.

Jaune hesitated. Saying it now didn't make it concrete. He could always change his mind later. But for some reason, it felt important to get it right. To tell Ruler what his final wish would be.

"My wish," he started, "is...my wish. My…" Jaune looked to his feet, shame flooding his features. "I...don't know yet. I have some ideas, but it's a lot of pressure." He expected a laugh or admonishment, but none came. Ruler just nodded sagely.

"A wish upon the Grail is not to be made rashly. It is good that you can admit you are unsure. Think on it, Jaune Arc, and weave a beautiful wish for the Grail. You may come and inform me of your resolution, if you so desire."

Ruler dismissed them with a wave of his hand. "You may leave. I will speak to your Servants now. The 'may' sounded too much like 'will' for Jaune's liking, but it wasn't like he could argue. Jaune and Ruby left the gym, passing by their Servants who said nothing. As the doors closed, Jaune caught one last glimpse of Archer and Saber turning to speak with Ruler.

The image of the earthen throne jutting out of the floor, and Ruler atop it as if it were the most natural thing in the world, was something Jaune would not soon forget.

0o0o0o0o0

The doors clicked behind Saber and Archer, leaving them alone with Ruler. Saber glanced at Archer to her side, but he looked as stoic as ever with her arms crossed over his chest. Ruler seemed content to observe them in silence. There was something unnerving about how his gray eyes seemed to pierce through her.

It seemed like an eternity would pass before anyone spoke, but Archer finally broke the silence. "Well? Speak or dismiss us, Ruer. I don't care to waste time standing in silence."

Ruler chuckled darkly. "You are bold, I will say."

"I think," Saber said, "what my companion means is that-"

"Silence, Saber. I did not give permission for you to speak yet." Saber held back the urge to protest. "You may be a princess, but I am a _king_. And besides, you're not the least bit interesting." He gave a disgusted look at her sword, which was odd. Saber felt indignation rise up her throat. She had done nothing to earn this man's ire!

" _You_ , however," Ruler said, turning back to Archer, "are a rarity that should not go unnoticed."

Archer huffed. "A simple bowman is common enough, I think."

Ruler barked out a harsh laugh. "Modesty does not suit you, Counter Guardian."

Saber's eyes widened. Counter Guardians were rare indeed. For one to be summoned in a Grail War was even rarer. Her respect for Archer grew. Only the most dedicated could do what he did.

Archer seemed to take it as an insult, judging by his face. "If that is what interests you, then I hate to disappoint, but it's something I don't wish to speak of. You'll have to use a Command Spell."

"Archer…" Saber mumbled. To go so far to keep it secret could mean a host of things, but Saber didn't want to jump to conclusions.

Ruler sat for a while, staring down Archer. They stayed there, two irons wills silently battling it out. After a few minutes, it seemed the victor was decided.

"Very well," Ruler said. "A just mediator I would not be were I the type of man to fling Command Spells at my own whim. Which you knew." Archer's only response was to smirk. "It seems I was mistaken, Archer, in my judgement of your character."

"As I was for yours," said Archer. "When I realized there was a Ruler watching over this strange Holy Grail War, I felt more at ease. But meeting you, I think we would have been better off without one."

It felt like Saber's heart skipped a beat. Had she heard that correctly? She hadn't taken Archer for the brash type, but he was proving otherwise at the most inopportune time.

Ruler's scowl darkened. "Watch your tone, _Servant_. You forget who you speak to. Even without my Command Spells, you would still be lower than the dirt beneath my feet. If I simply willed it, the universe would bend itself to erase your existence."

Even with all she had gone through, Saber's pulse quickened at being near Ruler's anger. She could only imagine what it felt like for Archer, who was its focus. Still, Archer looked unfazed.

"Leave," Ruler spat. "I care not to hear the wishes of two Servants who do not have respect nor self-preservation."

Saber was almost too stunned to move, but Archer put a hand on her shoulder.

"Let's go, Lucina," he said gently. Hearing her true name snapped her out of her stupor, and she followed him out. The last thing she heard before they left the room was Ruler mumbling to himself. The thought of an unstable Heroic Spirit mediating the war made Saber uneasy. The only small comfort she found was in the presence of her three teammates as they headed back to Beacon.

0o0o0o0o0

With their Masters safely back in their beds, Archer and Saber took to their usual spot on the roof of the dorm. Archer stood at the very edge, red shroud billowing in the wind.

"Archer…" started Saber. He shifted his head to look at her. "I...that is when you...I mean…" She took a breath. "Thank you."

Archer raised an eyebrow as he fully turned to her. "Why are you thanking me?"

"I am not daft, Archer. The way you treated Ruler was because of how he spoke to me, was it not?" Saber held back a laugh at the small twitch on Archer's face. She almost thought she saw a slight blush, but it was too dark to tell.

"We are allied in all things. What kind of partner would I be if I allowed someone to disrespect you so blatantly?"

Saber rolled her eyes beneath her mask. She had a feeling he would have done the same even if they were not allies. That's just the type of person Archer was.

She bowed in an exaggerated way. "I appreciate the gesture all the same, _partner_."

A comfortable silence settled between them. The night wind was a pleasant chill, and Saber had always secretly enjoyed the way her cape billowed. She thought back to their encounter with Ruler. What could have caused such an immediate dislike towards her?

Saber couldn't figure it out no matter how much she wracked her memory. Ruler had seemed a bit unhinged, but it still didn't add up. She just had to accept it and move forward, in any case. Saber hoped that Archer's small act of rebellion didn't come back to bite them later.

Eventually, they both sat down, legs dangling over the edge. Saber still remained alert, just as she assumed Archer was, but being overly vigilant was bad for the mind. They remained quiet for the most part, but sometimes chatted idly about easy topics, though Saber had to initiate most of the conversations.

She studied Archer's profile as he swept his gaze across the school grounds. He had a hard look about him, but every once in a while, his eyes would soften, and he would look much younger. Saber tried several times to locate what he had seen that had caused his reaction. Mostly, she wasn't successful, but a few times she managed to follow his eyesight. Without fail, it was some ordinary object or area that she was sure could hold no significance to him. The best guess she had was that whatever he looked at triggered some memory, for it did seem that he withdrew into himself for those brief moments.

The urge to ask him what he was remembering bubbled up, but it felt a bit too personal. Though he knew much about her through Falchion, Saber hardly knew anything about Archer, besides what little he had divulged the night they shared their identities.

Right as she worked up the courage to query about his past, Archer was on his feet. Instead she asked, "What is it?"

"Something moved between the trees, and it was no Grimm." His eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly. "It could have been a student, but I didn't get a good enough look."

Saber stood up in a flash, hand gripping the hilt of her sword. Though her eyesight was nowhere near as precise as Archer's, she scanned the trees where he was looking. There was the occasional rustle of branches, but no movement or splotch of color to contrast the green and brown of the forest.

"Should we investigate?" she asked when the silence began to stretch.

Archer kept his eyes focused for a second longer before turning to her. "This could be a ploy to draw us away from our Masters. I'll stay here and keep lookout, while you go and see if there's a Servant about."

Saber nodded with a singular sharp motion and leapt off the building without any preamble. For a blessed second, she felt as if she were flying, then the ground rushed up to meet her. She astralized to lessen the impact so she didn't leave an obvious trace. Staying invisible, in case any non-participants were nearby, she sped to the spot where Archer had seen the movement. It took less than a few seconds to cross the clear expanse between the schools border and the trees.

She strained to hear anything out of the ordinary. A well trained enemy would know to keep out of line of sight, but any motion to attack would make a sound, however slight. In a situation like this, where an ambush was a high possibility, sound was the most important sense.

Archer hadn't specified the direction he saw the person move towards, so Saber swept back and forth, covering as much ground as she could. After a minute of fruitless searching she was almost ready to give up, but something odd caught her eye.

With great caution, she walked over to an object jutting out from one of the trees. An arrowhead was lodged backwards into the bark, so that it pointed deeper into the forest. Small bits of the tree were scattered near the base, so it had to have been done recently.

The whole situation smelled of a trap so Saber. The kind that made one part obvious to throw off the prey from the real threat. The likelihood of another Servant's involvement shot up a hundredfold.

Leaving now would be the safest option in the short term, but they would learn next to nothing, while the enemy would have studied their patrol spot, how fast they responded to a situation, what steps they took to scout an area, and a dozen other bits of crucial information. In the long run, knowingly springing this trap was better for their group than leaving it be.

Saber followed the direction in which the arrowhead pointed. It didn't take long to confirm her suspicion. One after another, she found them, pointing exactly to the next marker without fail.

Following the most recent one, she broke into a small clearing. On the other side, a hooded figure sat cross-legged with their hands on their knees and their head bowed. A sword wrapped from hilt to point in cloth lay against a tree a few feet behind them, and next to it was a sturdy looking wooden bow. The mysterious stranger raised their head at Saber's arrival. That at least confirmed that they were a Servant.

Everything about it screamed trap, but Saber pushed onward and materialised. She kept her hand on her hilt, ready to draw at a moment's notice. The hooded figure seemed at ease, however, and made no move to ready for battle.

Saber's patience was uncommonly short today after her encounter with Ruler, and she felt her anger rising up. "Enough games! Why have you led me on this wild goose chase?"

The hooded figure stood up in a casual manner and held up his hands as if to ward her off. They pointed at themselves, then pointed at their half-hidden eyes and turned the two fingers to Saber. They faced their hands together and opened and closed them rapidly like a crab.

A moment passed when the incredulity of the other Servant's actions stunned Saber, but she caught on. "You have been watching me-" The hooded figure shook their head and held up four fingers. "-watching my team and wanted to talk?" They nodded excitedly.

The stink of a trap got worse, but Saber would play their little game for now. "Okay then, let us talk. What is your class?" If they genuinely wanted to just have a chat, they would have to give up information.

The hooded figure put a finger on their cheek and thought for a moment. Holding up both their hands, one in front of the other, they held out the first two fingers on each and wiggled them, bobbing the whole thing up and down slightly.

A Rider then. It made sense, since they didn't seem the Caster type with the light leather armor. Lancer would have been a stretch also, unless they had purposefully gotten a phony sword and bow.

"Okay then, Rider, what did you want to talk about?"

Rider pointed at themself, then at Saber, then shook his two hands together. Then they pointed at a random far-off direction, bared their teeth in a snarl, and flailed their arms around wildly. Their face returned to normal and they took a few swings of an imaginary sword in mock battle, finishing with a flourish. They pointed a different direction, adopted an evil smirk, and waved their arms around as if dancing. They finished with another mock battle.

Saber thought for a moment. "You want to form an alliance and go fight Berserker and...Caster?" Rider shook their head up and down vigorously.

Why those two specifically? Perhaps it was a ploy to defeat the only other Servants Rider thought could pose a threat to them, then betray Saber and Archer. Or perhaps Rider was in the same boat as them, and needed help to take out Berserker, who was ridiculously powerful. Saber wished Archer was here so she could discuss this potential alliance.

It was hard to say, even with her ability to see the general sense of an individual's character. Like with Archer, she got many different impressions at once, making it hard to read accurately. What made those two special that confused her Brand of the Exalt?

Rider pulled something from a pouch on his side and Saber pulled her sword out in a flash. Rider froze for a moment, but quickly held up the object in plain view. Saber relaxed a bit when she saw a pen and small parchment of paper.

With exaggerated slowness, Rider walked halfway between them and set down the items on the floor. They walked back to their original position and pointed at Saber, then mimed writing something down. Pointing at their bow, Rider drew an imaginary one and shot it off in the direction Saber had come from.

 _Ah,_ thought Saber, _a message to send to Archer._ She retrieving the offered writing utensils, she wrote down a quick message.

 _Archer,_

 _Worry not, for I am okay. Your sharp eyes were correct. It was another Servant, Rider, but they wanted to team up, not fight. I am still wary, but they do seem genuine. I would like for you to meet them as well and make your own impression so that we may discuss this potential alliance. Meet us near where you first spotted them._

 _Saber of Team JASR_

The mention of their team name, as well as small details like knowing that Archer was the one that noticed Rider, would alert him that this was truly her sending the message. The meeting spot was also far away enough from their Masters so as not to endanger them unnecessarily by bringing an unknown Servant nearby, but also close enough that they could respond to any other disturbances that may occur.

Saber folded up the message and lay it and the pen back down on the ground before stepping back. Rider grabbed their bow and walked to the message. Pulling out a thin rope from their pouch, they carefully wrapped it around an arrow that materialized in one hand. After knocking it loosely, Rider looked up at Saber expectantly.

"He should be on the same rooftop we were on," she said, understanding their unasked question. They nodded and took aim. The arrow shot off like a bullet, and Saber had no doubt that it went exactly where it needed to be. Rider's lithe frame belied how easily they had pulled back the bowstring.

"Follow me," said Saber as she turned around to head towards the meeting spot. By unspoken agreement, Rider kept a bit behind her and a dozen feet to her right so they were still in her peripherals. It would give her just enough time to react in case they tried anything.

Saber inevitably found herself wondering what Heroic Spirit they were. They must be very famous indeed to cover their features with a hood and wrap their sword up. The strangest thing was she couldn't help but feel that Rider was familiar, like trying to remember someone from a half-forgotten dream. She could almost place it, but it kept slipping from her grasp, always sitting right at the tip of her tongue.

There was no time to ruminate on it, as they quickly arrived at the meeting spot. Archer was already there, arms crossed and eyebrows furrowed. Cautious as always, his stance was just wide enough to be ready for any trickery that an enemy Servant might have planned for him. Upon seeing Saber, he seemed to relax the slightest bit.

Saber walked up next to him as Rider stayed a respectable distance away. "Archer," she said, "meet Rider."

"A pleasure," he said flatly. "I need to speak with my partner for a bit. Alone." Rider nodded and walked off out of earshot.

"Now that you aren't restricted by a written note, speak your thoughts freely," said Archer, keeping his voice low, just in case.

"My eye has a hard time discerning their true nature, but what I do get points towards someone who keeps their word, if nothing else. I would guess they are also very famous, else they would not go to such lengths to hide their identity. They seem...familiar, but they are definitely not from my world, which raises a lot of questions. I am not opposed to working with them, but it would be unwise to have them meet our Masters, I think."

"I agree," he said, surprising Saber. "Oh? Didn't think I'd agree with you?" The tiniest of smirks made its way onto Archer's face.

"No, no!" Saber said while waving her hands back and forth. "It is just that I thought you would be opposed to working with _another_ Servant." Even though it was blocked by her mask, Saber lowered her gaze.

From the edge of her vision, she saw Archer cock his head in confusion. "Why would you think that?"

Saber stayed quiet for a moment. "Though you have been nothing but kind to me...I feel that deep down you may resent the fact that we were practically forced into teaming up."

The ensuing silence gnawed at Saber's heart. Archer's chuckle pierce her worry like an arrow. "If I remember correctly, I was the one who sued for peace while you tried to take my head off my shoulders."

Saber met his eyes. "Yes, but-"

"No buts," he said, cutting her off with a stern voice. "You take too much upon yourself. In all my life, both as a living man and as a Heroic Spirit, I can count on one hand the amount of people I have worked well with as partners. Rest assured, you are one of them."

Saber's mouth dropped for a moment before she remembered propriety and gathered herself. A warm glow emanated from her chest at his words, and the heat reached her cheeks. Once again, she was glad that her mask covered her reaction from Archer.

"Thank you, truly. Your words honor me."

Archer huffed. "Shall we go tell our patient friend our decision?" Saber nodded.

Rider was leaned against a tree a few hundred feet from where they had conversed. Saber appreciated that he had gone far enough to leave no doubt that he hadn't eavesdropped. With casual grace, he stood up straight and awaited their decision. Archer motioned for her to speak.

"Archer and I have decided that we will be willing to work with you." Rider seemed pleased with their answer. "However, you will not meet our Masters, nor get near them. We hope you understand out caution."

From the shadows of Rider's hood, Saber saw them frown for a moment. It was so fast, she almost thought she imagined it. That worried her, but she kept it to herself. For now. Rider nodded their assent, regardless.

From his pouch, he pulled what looked to be an oddly shaped plant. They placed it to their lips and blew. The strange plant emitted a piercing sound. They handed it to Saber and pointed at their ear.

"We shall use this to call you. Understood." With a nod of their head, Rider ran off into the woods. A wind rustled the trees, almost as if the world itself celebrated the newly minted pact of Heroic Spirits.

"At this rate, they'll be no more Servants to fight since we recruited them all," said Archer dryly.

"If only that were possible."

"Yes, if only." A wistful tone entered Archer's voice.

"Let us not dwell on such melancholy thoughts and return to our post." Saber put her hand on Archer's shoulder to comfort him.

Though he tried to hide it, Saber saw the pain of someone who knew they would have to shed blood in his eyes. A stronger feeling covered it quickly; determination. They set off to once again guard their Master's from the night.

0o0o0o0o0

The days were passing too quickly for Jaune's liking. He should have appreciated the peace is gave Team JASR, but all it did was increase his anxiety. A day gone by with no Servant activity meant another day their enemies were left unchecked to do as the pleased.

The oppressive heat forced Jaune under a nearby cluster of trees for shade. Walking across Beacon's grounds in this weather was tantamount to torture. Fortunately, he wasn't in a rush, so he enjoyed the brief respite from the sun.

From what Saber had told him a few days ago of her encounter with Rider, it seemed Berserker and Caster were the ones they had to worry about the most. He had already known that Berserker was a problem, but Caster was a complete unknown. That particular Class was supposed to be crafty, and their absence had worried both Saber and Archer, though they had tried to hide it.

Something needed to be done soon, or else Jaune was going to start ripping his own hair out. All the important things seemed to be happening without him or Ruby around. He refused to be a bystander in this war where failure could mean catastrophic results. He refused to be _useless_.

His swordsmanship had been improving by leaps and bounds, a fact he attributed almost solely to his training bouts with Saber. She was a relentless teacher, but not unkind. Though Pyrrha had built up his basics splendidly, Saber drilled tactics and strategy into his head in addition to advanced techniques. Jaune had to admit, sometimes it was a but much to take in all at once, but he tried his best.

Professor Goodwitch hadn't called him up for a bout recently, and he found himself excited at the prospect of seeing tangible results. Once he could empirically prove his growth, Jaune planned on asking Archer for some training lessons. It wouldn't feel right asking for his help before a victory. Almost like it was a test Jaune had to pass.

Thinking of Archer reminded him that the enigmatic Servant had promised him some upgrades to Crocea Mors and his armor tonight. With the past few days being as quiet as they were, Archer said that this would be the best time to do it. Jaune needed something to lift his mood after feeling purposeless for so long, and these changes to his equipment were just the thing.

"You know, I never took you for the silent, brooding type, but you've been stuck there with that introspective look on your face for almost ten minutes." The sudden voice broke Jaune out of his stupor, and he looked around to see who had spoken. "Up here."

Jaune looked up and saw Blake lounging on a low-hanging tree limb with an open book in her hands. One leg rested on the branch while the other dangled lazily off the side.

"I'm almost not surprised to see you up there," Jaune said with hint of mirth. She rolled her golden eyes, but Jaune saw a small twitch on the corner of her lips. "So what's up? Besides you, of course."

"Wow, I'm going to pretend you didn't just say that horrible joke. Unlike you, I like to read while I brood, and this happens to be one of my favorite spots to do so." She snapped her book shut and swung her other leg down so she sat up straighter.

"Not my fault you can't appreciate good humor. And I was _not_ brooding."

"Oh, really? Could've fooled me." She brushed some stray strands of hair back behind her shoulder.

Jaune shook his head in mock exasperation. "You gonna come down here so we can talk like normal people or am I gonna have to climb up there? Or is it just that you just enjoy looking down on me that much?"

"You think pretty highly of yourself if you think I enjoy looking at you," she said as she raised an eyebrow.

Heat rushed to Jaune's cheeks. "I- That's not- You know what I meant!" Blake's only response was to smile and scoot over, giving enough room on the branch for Jaune to sit. He grumbled incoherently to himself as he clumsily made his way up the tree, almost falling twice.

The branch groaned the slightest bit as he sat with a huff, but it held firm. "You know that's not how I meant it, right Blake?"

She rolled her eyes. "I was just poking fun, Jaune." A sly grin crept across her face. "Besides, I know you only have eyes for Weiss."

Jaune glared at her. "Ha _ha,_ very funny. And if you haven't noticed, that ship has sailed." Jaune averted his gaze. "I just took longer than everyone else to realize that."

He felt Blake's hand on his shoulder. "Well at least you did. Some guys never even get to that part. Maybe now you can work on moving on."

Jaune sighed. "You're right. I've been too distracted recently to worry about it anyway." He realized his mistake as soon as he said it. Blake withdrew her hand and leaned towards him with a concerned look.

"You have? Distracted with what?"

Jaune's brain worked at a mile a minute. What story would sound believable enough? Of all his friends, Blake was among the most observant. If there were any flaws in the logic of his excuse, there was a high probability she would see through it. If he shot his mouth off more, he could blow his cover, but if he took too long to answer, she'd know something was up.

"It's my cousin, Lucina," Jaune started without knowing where he would finish. "She's not, uh, doing so well recently. Her parents are...going through a rough patch. It looks like they're probably gonna split up." He apologized to Saber in his head for throwing her under the bus.

"Oh, Jaune, I'm so sorry." The apology confused him for a second before he realized that Saber's 'parents' were also his 'aunt' and 'uncle'. "Is that why she's staying in Vale right now?"

"Yes," Jaune said, struggling to keep the exciting out of his voice. Blake had somehow managed to line up his story with Saber's reason for being here, which legitimized it all the more. "Her parents didn't want her to see it all go down, since she's so sheltered. I've been trying to ease her into the idea."

"And how are you taking all this?"

"I'm doing alright, I guess. It's hard to process all at once. I just want it all to be over already." It pained Jaune to lie to her, especially when she was giving her sympathy, but it was for the greater good.

"Well, we can always talk if you ever want to." The offer warmed his heart, even given the circumstances. It was strange to think that she most likely wouldn't have done the same a few weeks ago. Their friendship had grown a lot in that time.

At that moment, it felt like he could tell Blake anything, and he knew she wouldn't judge him for it. He had a frightening realization; he _wanted_ to admit something. He opened his mouth, heart hammering, unsure what he was going to confess.

"What are you lovebirds up to?" Jaune's heart skipped a few beats, and he felt Blake twitch in surprise next to him. Below them Yang stood with a wicked grin, hands on her hips.

"N-nothing! I mean, we're not lovebirds!" Jaune winced and turned to Blake. "Not that there's anything wrong with that, I just-"

"It's fine, Jaune, you don't have to explain. Yang's just being...Yang." With easy grace, Blake slid off the branch and landed softly. "We were just talking. About serious topics, too, before you rudely interrupted."

"Sorry, sorry, I just couldn't help but get jealous. It looked like lover boy was trying to make a move on my teammate. And no one's allowed to do that but me." Blake rolled her eyes, but she smirked.

"Even if that was the case, your first instinct is to barge in?" Blake asked with a raised eyebrow. Jaune, not trusting his agility, clambered down the side of the tree back to solid ground.

Yang pouted. "No! My first instinct was to pummel vomit boy. This was my elegant solution."

"Pummel?" Jaune asked, paling slightly.

"Pummel," Yang said matter-of-factly.

Jaune gulped. "I promise you we weren't doing anything, so that won't be necessary."

"That's boring, though! Let's settle this, right here, right now. Blake, if Jaune and I were drowning, who would you save?"

"You moron's can't even swim?"

"It's a hypothetical question," Yang said in exasperation. "Just answer it. Which would you save?"

"My time and effort." Blake turned and started walking away.

"Blakey!" Yang whined as she followed her. "Answer the question!"

Jaune stood there and watched them leave, wondering what just happened. It was times like this that he was grateful for his own team. Even Nora, with all her quirkiness, was easier to understand than most of the girls from Team RWBY.

Jaune's scroll buzzed. A message from Blake.

 _I meant what I said. We can always talk later, if you want._

Jaune smiled.

 _Thanks._

For what wasn't the first time, Jaune wondered how he ended up with such amazing friends. The thought of them determined Jaune all the more to win this Grail War. There was no way he would let some power hungry Master potentially hurt those he cared about. No one but he or Ruby could get that wish, and the only way to do that was to not be useless.

A plan started to form in his mind.

0o0o0o0o0

Caster strut across the warehouse floor. Each step sent a clack echoing throughout the building. It was empty, save for what few thralls he had gathered. His damnable Master had told him to keep the amount of victims to a minimum. He could almost hear her sickeningly sultry voice and her thinly veiled threats.

He understood why, of course, but the very idea of a mere mortal ordering him about made him clench his fist in fury. That sack of flesh and blood was lucky their goals had aligned, albeit temporarily. Even the most antagonistic of Masters and Servants begrudgingly worked together for such their prize.

The Grail.

The thought of it was enough to send shivers of ecstasy down his spine. With it, he could conquer this new world in an instant!

Though it was nothing like his own, there was plenty of humans to be subservient. Even these...Grimm would eventually be brought to heel. All would bow down!

Caster was hit with a fit of manic laughter. He scratched at his head, pointed fingernails clawing through his golden locks, digging into his skin. Blood oozed down the sides of his face as he howled in delight.

The wounds closed almost instantly.

This War was as good as won. His Master, though he loathed to admit it, was powerful in her own right. Even had she been incompetent, he could take any enemy.

After all, it was only a matter of _time_.

0o0o0o0o0

 **I feel like this chapter is all over the place, and I didn't really edit it that much since I wanted to just get it out there, but honestly? I recently realized that I shouldn't be waiting for perfection to write/post things. I've been treating each chapter like I'm submitting it to a big publisher, when I really just need to have fun with it and stop worrying about every single grammar/wording/story element being exactly right.**

 **Anyway, I'm sure those of you who are familiar with Fate are thrown for a bit of a loop with a Ruler being here. And we finally get to see a bit of Caster! We've officially seen every Servant in the story, so feel free to go buckwild with who's who theories. (I love it when people guess, if you haven't noticed). Just to give a bit of a hint, we have 3 anime characters (I'm counting Archer one of these), 3 video game characters, 1 comic book character, and 1 book character. Also the title is (as usual) a hint for some identities.**

 **Also, a few people were wondering/complaining about how fast Assassin was taken out. Looking back, I do wish I waited on that a bit. What's done is done, though, and when/if I get to the second route of the story, he'll have more of a role that time around. For those that correctly guessed his identity, he is a younger version, which is my logic as to why Archer was able to pull off what he did.**

 **Once again, no promises on when the next chapter will come, as I want to finish chapter 3 of my other RWBY fic first, but I've been on kind of a roll lately, so who knows. Hope you enjoyed the chapter, please leave a review if you did!**


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